Blood of the Hora Quan
by EcoSeeker247
Summary: With the Metal Heads growing more restless, a disgruntled Krimzon Guard finds herself being swept up into a new adventure when a mysterious man named Kor offers her a job that she can't refuse. But is there more to it than that?
1. Going in Blind

Okay! So I've decided to rewrite this story, only because I feel like I made the pacing too fast in the original version, so I took that one down and posted this new one. Like always, reviews, whether they're praise or constructive criticism, are appreciated.

Like the original version, this is going to be mostly Pre-Jak II, maybe slightly going into Jak II, and a little slower-paced, with more details being added about things that were not explained in great detail before. This will also be extended into a series, just like before.

**WARNING: **There are spoilers from the games throughout this story.

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

It was through the flame that she was lighting her cigarette where she saw _him. _He didn't say anything, but he merely stared at her from across the Bazaar. He was frowning and folding his arms, just watching as she raised the cigarette to her lips, took a drag, and then blew the smoke in his direction, even though she knew the smoke would dissipate long before it reached him. She was almost defying him, just daring him to get up and approach her. She had noticed him around the Bazaar for the last week or so, and she was suddenly getting the urge to arrest him on charges of loitering.

"Lieutenant La Rosa!" a sharp, authoritative voice barked from behind her. She quickly withdrew the cigarette from her mouth and put it out, stepping on it with her red Krimzon Guard boots. She wasn't allowed to smoke, on or off duty, but she couldn't help it; she was addicted.

"Don't think I didn't see you stomping that out!" Commander Torn continued, sprinting over to her table, "You know the rules about smoking."

"Sorry, Commander," Samantha apologized quickly, "It won't happen again."

"You've been warned twice already. Anymore times and you'll be suspended." Sometimes, Torn could be a real hardass, but Sam likened it to the fact that he had to work for that tyrant of a Baron every day.

"Anyway," the Commander continued, "You've got Forest Patrol with Captain Erol and his squadron. Report there immediately!"

"Yes, Commander." Torn walked away, and once he was gone, Sam grabbed her KG helmet, got up from the café table she was sitting at, and turned to walk back to her Zoomer. Along the way, she caught the mysterious man staring at her again, and she frowned in response. _Sometimes, I hate this job, _she thought to herself.

* * *

"The Commander has got to be kidding me!" one of the lieutenants, Thomas Mac, exclaimed as he, Sam, Captain Erol, and the rest of his team patrolled Haven Forest, "This is outside of the Shield Wall! Is he just asking for us to be killed?"

"Hush, Mac!" Erol snapped from the front of the group, "This is serious! And it wasn't Torn's orders! It was Praxis's!"

Erol's group was in Haven Forest checking to make sure there were no Metal Heads in sight, and they were under the orders to shoot and kill any of those beasts that just happened to show up. Sam readied her Scatter Gun, a determined frown forming on her face. Hatred for the Metal Heads coursed through her veins, and watching those monsters fall in death was one of the few things that put a smile on her face these days.

"Sorry, Captain," Mac apologized meekly, "But I really don't think we should be out here."

Erol whirled around to face Mac. "Look!" he sighed impatiently, "If you want to go keep watch by the gate, then go! Otherwise, quit your whining!"

Mac immediately turned around and sprinted back to the gate. Sam watched him leave and then turned to Erol. "You don't have to be such an _ass_, Captain," she quipped, "We're not all fearless like you!" As of lately, Erol had not been acting like himself. He was always tense and less even-tempered as opposed to the joking, lighthearted person he was before the war.

Erol turned and stared at Sam, who was obviously in a foul mood after being caught smoking earlier. "Keep talking, Lieutenant, and you'll be joining him!" he snapped.

"All right, fine," Sam huffed. She needed a cigarette. Badly.

Suddenly, something rustled through the trees. "What was that?" Sam asked, placing her finger on the trigger of her Scatter Gun.

"I don't know," Erol whispered back, "Maybe a bird or something?"

Suddenly, flashes of yellow popped out of the bushes in front of them. "Or something!" Sam cried as the rest of the squad began firing at the attacking Metal Heads. Erol commanded his group as he used his stun rods in order to pacify the enemy. Sam had to get up close to the monsters before using her Scatter Gun. Although the KG was well-trained for this type of situation, they were no match for the ferocious Metal Heads, who were effortlessly wiping out their entire team. One by one, all the guards except for Erol and Sam fell prey to the metal beasts, leaving the rest of the squadron at a loss for what to do.

"Fall back!" Erol cried, "Retreat, retreat! Back to the Shield Wall!" Sam felt the Captain grab her hand and pull her back to safety just as a Metal Head narrowly missed her foot. She had to admit she was disappointed; she was hoping to shed more Metal Head blood tonight.

Mac spotted the two of them as soon as they were in his line of sight. "Mar!" he gasped, "What happened to you two?"

"Just go! Get back to the city!" Erol snapped, waving the two remaining lieutenants on as the gate opened. As soon as they were safely back in Haven City, they all took a deep breath and climbed into Erol's Hellcat cruiser.

"Well, that was a failure," Erol growled, balling his hands into fists, "Praxis will have my head."

"If anything, he'll have Torn's head," Mac piped up, "He's the Commander." The Captain faced him and narrowed his eyes.

"We'll just tell him we suffered heavy casualties," he assured the others, "Nothing else."

"But that _is _all we suffered," Sam reasoned, to which Erol glared at her again.

"Do you mind, Lieutenant?" he asked, putting a nasty emphasis on _Lieutenant._ Sam stuck her tongue out at him before settling back in her seat and glancing out the window of the Hellcat cruiser.

But by the time they got back to the Fortress, where the KG headquarters were located, Baron Praxis himself was already waiting for them, and Commander Torn was standing next to him. Just like he did the KG, the Baron ruled all of Haven City with an iron fist.

"So," Praxis started in a low voice, and Erol, Sam, and Mac already knew what was coming, "Where's the rest of your squadron?"

"We…suffered heavy casualties, sir," Erol explained as smoothly as possible, "The Metal Heads overwhelmed us."

"_Did _they?" Praxis echoed, "And how come you didn't kill every last one of them?"

"There was no way. There were too many of them!"

"Go home!" the Baron thundered, "All of you! And we'll try this again in the morning!" Sweeping his cape behind him, Praxis turned and walked, with Torn giving his fellow guards a rare sympathetic stare before following the intimidating Baron.

Sitting down on the closest bench, Erol muttered, "I've disappointed him…_again_." He buried his face into his hands and sighed.

Mac sat down next to him, patted his shoulder, and murmured, "It'll be okay. You're one of the KG's best captains, and if Praxis can't see that, then the hell with him!" _Who cares? _Sam thought, trying not to roll her eyes. After bidding the others goodbye, she turned and walked out of the Fortress. She concentrated on getting back home to her apartment near the Port, and she noticed how depressing the city looked around her. She closed her eyes for a minute and shook her head, reflecting on how disgruntled she felt towards her job.

The city was in the middle of a war at the moment, and things looked bad for the KG and Praxis. And of course, the Underground didn't help matters, either. Just the other day, the Krimzon Guard had to arrest a dozen citizens just for putting up posters protesting against the Baron. If they didn't watch their backs, not only would their men be killed, but so would their families. That notion bothered Sam the most.

* * *

Once she arrived back at her house, Sam entered the apartment building that she lived in and immediately raced to the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she stripped off her KG uniform and examined the scars that crisscrossed over her entire body. The angry, red lines didn't go unnoticed by any of her fellow Guards, but she never divulged the reason that they were there. It wasn't important, anyway. Sam splashed some water onto her face before quickly showering and changing into more comfortable clothing.

_Slam! _The sound of a door opening and closing made Sam instantly shut off the water. _What was that? _She thought, reaching for her Scatter Gun that she had set on the toilet, on top of her KG uniform. "Who's there?" she snapped, reloading her gun with Red Eco bullets she kept with her at all times. Pointing the shotgun-type weapon in front of her, she kicked the door down and began creeping through her apartment, ready to fire if something tried to attack her. She checked her bedroom, the main hallway, the kitchen, and finally, the living room, where a surprise waited for her.

"Good evening, young lady," the man on Sam's couch greeted smoothly. Sam jumped in the air, gasped a little bit, and pointed her gun at him. She recognized him as the man who had been watching her smoke in the Bazaar earlier that evening, as well as the same man she had seen around the city quite a few times before that.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, "And how did you get in my house? I'll arrest you for this, you know! I'm a _Krimzon Guard_!"

The man simply laughed. "You don't seem too proud of that, from what I've seen," he replied, infuriating Sam and causing her to practically stick the Scatter Gun in his face.

"You've been _spying _on me?" she snapped, "Start talking or else I'll take you to Baron Praxis himself!"

Standing up from the couch, the man, who already seemed unfazed by Sam's threats, simply moved the gun out of his face. "There will be no need for that, Sam," he declared, making Sam do a double take. Not only did this freak break and enter into her home, but he also knew her name! This was both confusing and angering her at the same time.

"Now you _have _to start talking!" she quipped.

The man tilted his head to the side and smiled slightly. "My name is Kor," he introduced himself, "And we have much to talk about."

* * *

Back at the Fortress, Baron Praxis and Commander Torn returned to the throne room, where Praxis had summoned the young Commander in order to discuss matters with him. "Commander," he began, "You do realize that you're one of the best men I've got on the force."

Torn was surprised at what he was hearing. "Thank you, sir," he replied neutrally.

"And for that, I'm giving you an extra assignment." Torn waited patiently for the Baron to continue.

"I need you to keep an eye on some of our other guards," Praxis explained, "I know I have a strong hold over the Krimzon Guard, but I fear some of them are still trying to…slip through the cracks, so to speak."

"You mean rebel?" Torn asked.

"Smart man," Praxis complimented, grinning.

"Is there anyone in particular?" Torn inquired, though he could already think of a few names off the bat.

"No," the Baron replied, "But if one begins to rebel, then they all might. And I can't have that at this time when I need them the most."

"Understood, sir," Torn assured him, saluting before he exited the throne room. Praxis nodded, satisfied.


	2. Life in the Krimzon Guard

I've decided to post the next revised chapter, just to get the story going a little bit.

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"Please remove all the Red Eco from that Scatter Gun," Kor insisted, taking a seat on the couch behind him.

Sam frowned. "Listen, creep!" she growled, "_You _broke and entered into _my _apartment! Don't tell me what to do with my weapons! The Red Eco stays where it is." Still pointing the Scatter Gun at Kor, Sam slowly sat down on the couch.

"I can see you will be difficult," the older man sighed.

"Cut the crap and tell me what you want!" Sam narrowed her eyes and waited for Kor to speak. _Don't be rude, Sam, _she chided herself, _Just see what he wants first._

Kor raised his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "You're not happy with your job as a Guard," he thought out loud, "And I despise the Baron with every fiber of my being."

Sam frowned, feeling her anger disappear, but only a little bit. "How would you know how I feel about the KG?" she asked in a softer tone of voice.

"I've been around the city," was all Kor said, "And you're not the only one. You whole team is unhappy as well."

Sam eased up on the Scatter Gun. "I'm listening," she snarled.

"Work for me," Kor suggested, "And I'll give you a job that Praxis himself couldn't offer to his own guards!"

"And what would I be doing?"

"I'll teach you how to _kill_! You'll learn how to use weapons that you probably haven't even heard of before! I'll show you how to look deep inside yourself for secrets you aren't even aware of!"

_All right, this guy is out of his mind, _Sam thought to herself, pointing the Scatter Gun at Kor again. "I don't have any secrets," she insisted, "And even if I did, what makes you think I would tell _you_?"

But Kor only smiled. "You will," he told her, "Trust me. Do consider my offer, though. I'll be back when you've made up your mind."

"That's not going to happen. Now, get out!" Sam raised the Scatter Gun again, and in a flash, Kor left the apartment. _You should have just arrested him when you got the chance, _she scolded herself as she locked her gun away in her drawer, grabbed another cigarette, and began to smoke again. As she inhaled and exhaled the smoke, she found herself muttering out loud.

"What does he mean, he'll teach me how to find secrets?" she asked out loud, "I don't have any secrets. He's just not all there." She crossed from the living room to her bedroom, laid on top of her bed, and stared up at the ceiling. She continued to think about Kor's strange visit, as well as her thoughts on the Krimzon Guard. It was disgusting how Baron Praxis treated the KG and the city, yet she still served him anyway. She remembered how distraught Erol looked earlier after the failed mission in the forest. She had to admit that she felt the tiniest bit sympathetic towards her Captain; he just wanted to be the best he could be.

Sam raised the cigarette to her lips again, and she felt a little bit of the smoke blow back into her face from the breeze outside. The toxic substance touched the rather long scar on her cheek, and she traced her fingers over the gash, which crisscrossed the KG tattoos on her face. _This is the mark of Baron Praxis, _she thought to herself, _And Kor did say he hated the Baron, too. Maybe I should give this some thought. _

_

* * *

_

The next morning, Baron Praxis called almost the entire KG that was working the day shift to the large assembly room below the Fortress. Captain Erol, Commander Torn, Lieutenant Mac, Sam, and Praxis's daughter, Captain Ashelin Praxis, all took seats in the front row while the rest of the guards filled out the room. Male or female, everyone looked the same in the traditional red KG jumpers and helmets. _Another day in paradise, _Sam thought sarcastically to herself.

"Guards!" Praxis boomed in his usual authoritative voice, "I have some rather troubling news about our numbers. Last night, we lost a good third of our men and women in Haven Forest." The KG gasped, and Erol closed his eyes and shook his head.

"To ensure that this will not happen again," Praxis continued, "I have decided there will be some changes around here. One: I will be assigning certain groups to stand beside each location in the Shield Wall. Two: I will be cutting lunch breaks short by two hours. And three: You will all be under orders to arrest anyone who defies my laws in sight! Is that understood!"

"Yes, sir!" all of the guards shouted in unison, even though Sam was sure that most, if not all, of them disagreed with some of these new policies, especially the Commander. But there was no reasoning with Baron Praxis, so nobody saw the point in speaking out.

"This doesn't seem right," Torn mumbled under his breath, and the Baron overheard him.

"Is there something you would like to share with your subordinates, _Commander_?" the intimidating man asked, "After our little _talk_ last night?" Torn shook his head, making the other Krimzon Guards curious. What talk from last night?

"No, sir!" he exclaimed.

"Good. Now, you all know your posts! Get to work!" The guards all leaped up from their chairs and began to file out of the room, a few of them complaining about the shorter lunch breaks.

"Only half an hour to eat lunch!" Mac groaned, "Is the Baron out of his mind?"

"We'll have to get used to it," Erol responded, "He's got an iron grip over all of us."

"Why can't Captain Praxis reason with her father?"

"You think I haven't tried?" Ashelin spoke up, "I have. He doesn't listen to anyone!"

"Let's go before your father has a heart attack," Sam also spoke up, and donning their helmets, they left the Fortress to go out into the streets, where a thunderstorm was beginning to form.

Suddenly, Erol received a transmission through his headset: "_There's an uprising near the Stadium! Possible Underground activity! All units report to the Stadium section now!_"

"Let's move!" Erol cried, directing the others on the quickest route to the Stadium. Sam reloaded her Scatter Gun just before leaping out of the Zoomer and running into the fray.

A mob was forming, with people punching and shoving each other violently. Erol led the others over to the large group and fired a few rounds. "Now, that's enough!" he snapped, "Whoever started this riot will be arrested and taken to the Fortress!" Everyone began pointing at each other, but one, bold man stepped in front of the Captain and spit at him.

"Go to hell!" he exclaimed, "You Krimzon Guards are nothing but a bunch of lying, corrupt _pricks_! You all disgust me!"

Sam couldn't help but feel offended. What she really wanted to say was that Baron Praxis ruled like a dictator towards the KG as well, but this man wouldn't hear it. Instead, she moved forward to handcuff him. "You're under arrest in the name of Baron Praxis," she declared, and as she led him back to the large Hellcat cruiser, the others arrested everyone else involved in the scuffle. It killed her that she had to help arrest people who were surely innocent, but it was part of the job.

"Get them all to the Fortress," Erol commanded, and the others took over their Zoomers and the Hellcat once again as a voice called out to Sam.

"So," Kor began, emerging from the shadows and approaching Sam, "Are you willing to take up my offer? You see how chaotic the streets are."

"Go away, Kor," Sam commanded, "I'm in the middle of an operation right now."

"If you worked for me, you wouldn't have to take responsibility for the KG's wrongdoings."

Sam stopped for a minute. "You're not going to leave me alone until I agree to this, are you? Just give me one more day to think about it, all right?"

"La Rosa!" Ashelin shouted, "Let's move!" Before Kor could say anything else, Sam turned and left to bring the new prisoners back to the Fortress. Along the way, she had to admit that Kor had a point: nobody in Haven City liked Baron Praxis, and neither did she. _Yet you still work for him, _a voice in her head echoed, _Whatever._

Erol led everyone into the Fortress, where he locked them all in one tiny cell. "The Baron will be back to question you," he informed them, "And you are being put under strict surveillance. Starting now."

"The hell with you, _Captain_!" the same man from before snapped, "And the same goes for all of you who help him!" Sam couldn't help but flinch, but pushed the thoughts away quickly. They had to continue serving their Baron. One way or another.

* * *

"_So_," Praxis began menacingly as Erol and Sam restrained the man who had insulted Erol before, "You caused quite a stir near the Stadium, did you? What were you planning to get out of that?"

Next to Praxis, Torn whipped a stun gun out of the holster on his side, even though Sam could tell he was having a hard time speaking out against all this. The man gazed from the Commander to the Baron and spat at both of them again. "You think you're helping the city," he snapped, "But you're just running it into the ground! You and your corrupt guards!" _There we go with the word "corrupt" again, _Sam thought to herself.

"Commander?" Praxis insisted, gesturing towards the man, and Torn paused for a minute before approaching the belligerent citizen and stunning him. The Commander's blue eyes closed, almost in shame, but he couldn't let his guard down. Not in front of Praxis. A little bit of blood leaked onto the man's shirt, making Sam's stomach hurl. She hated the sight of blood. _This is wrong, _she thought, _All wrong. _

"You won't insult one of my Captains again!" Praxis vowed, "Captain, place him back in his cell, where he'll learn to behave!"

Erol seemed to take great pleasure in dragging the man away, even as his charge cursed and screamed at him.

"Back to work!" Praxis ordered Torn and Sam, "Both of you!"

But Torn didn't move. "Sir?" he asked, "Is there another way to punish lawbreakers without lethal force?" Sam held her breath: this was the first time Torn had dared to speak up about something.

Praxis raised an eyebrow and then frowned. "Let me remind you of something, _Commander,_" he spat, "This is the _Krimzon Guard_! And corporal punishment is the only way to deal with the rebels! You should know this by now."

Sam flicked her gaze from Torn to the Baron and asked anxiously, "What's going to happen to the prisoner?"

The Baron faced her and grinned. "At sunset, I will be summoning a firing squad to execute him and all the others with him," he explained. Sam's face remained neutral, although she was secretly outraged. Maybe Kor was right; maybe Praxis was going too far this time.

Even Torn looked horrified, and Mar knew it was nearly impossible to get any emotions out of him.

"Lieutenant," Torn began, facing Sam, "I've decided you're going to be working on my squadron under my orders."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked, scoffing a little bit, "What brought this on?"

Thinking back to his conversation with Praxis last night, Torn shook his head. "That's classified information," he replied, "In fact, everyone who was involved in the raid last night will be working with me. You, Erol, Captain Ashelin, and Lieutenant Mac."

"Any particular reason why?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling a streak of rebellion.

"You ask too many questions," Torn commented, "Just follow your orders for once without question. Is that understood?"

Sam frowned and placed a hand on her hip. "Yes, Commander," she replied reluctantly, and Torn's blue eyes hardened as he nodded and led her out of the room.


	3. After the Fall

Here's the next revised chapter! I'm not really changing any of the content; I'm mostly combining some chapters to make for longer reads!

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. That was the place to be if you felt down on your luck, like Sam did in that moment. Even though Torn had told her she had two warnings against her regarding smoking, she still lit up anyway, smoking nearly a whole pack, one cigarette after the other, while she downed a bottle of beer and antidepressant pills. She knew it was dangerous to take medicine with alcohol, but she didn't care in that moment.

Earlier that afternoon, she had witnessed the execution by firing squad, which Erol had taken part in. The gunshots from the guards' eco pistols, along with the moans of the man that was being executed, left her disturbed for the rest of the day. What made her especially unnerved was that there was nothing she could do to stop Praxis. He had staked his claim over the entire city, even the Krimzon Guard, and there was no going back.

"Can I get you anything else tonight, Lieutenant?" the Hip Hog's owner, Krew, asked as he flew by her table in his mechanical chair. Sam looked up as the morbidly obese man held a pitcher of beer in front of her. _And I thought I was leading an unhealthy life, _she thought, even though she was.

"No, thank you," she declined, and Krew flew away again. _This job sucks, _she thought to herself, _Maybe that man in the Fortress was right. _

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kor once more. He wasn't mingling with anybody except for one other brutish-looking man. Sam wasn't sure if he had spotted her, but after inhaling more smoke one last time, she closed the dispenser with her medication, got up from the table, and approached the two of them. As soon as she was standing in front of them, they looked up, and Kor smiled. "Ahh, Sam," he sighed, "I knew you would be back."

"Please," the Krimzon Guard replied, rolling her eyes, "You didn't know anything. The Baron executed some citizens by firing squad today."

The other man shot a horrified look at Kor. "This city is really starting to go down, Kor," he said.

"It doesn't matter for us," Kor assured him as Sam looked back and forth between them, "We're leaving in a few weeks, anyway. Remember?" He narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"Oh!" the man gasped, "Right!"

"Where are you going?" Sam demanded.

Kor smiled secretively. "If you worked with us, you would find out," he answered by means of persuasion.

Sam faltered for a minute. She had been trying so hard not to give into her curiosity, but she couldn't take it anymore. Praxis was ruling like a dictator over the KG, and she thought her head would explode any minute. "Fine," she decided, "But as soon as I see something I don't like, I'm out."

"Wonderful!" the other man exclaimed, "By the way, my name is Kaedan. I'm Kor's second in command." Sam shook his hand vigorously, even though Kor shot him another _you've said too much _look, which did not go unnoticed by the Krimzon Guard.

"Second in command for what?" she pressed.

"For our own private army against the Baron!" Kor cut in before his partner could say anything. _Yeah, I'll see about that, _Sam told herself as the three of them exited the Saloon. They emerged onto the streets again, where Kaedan took over a large vehicle that looked like one of the KG Hellcats. Kor and Sam sat in the back, and Sam watched with increasing resentment as the KG patrolled the streets, physically punishing anyone that stepped out of line. Sam closed her eyes and sighed, and Kor's raspy voice next to her broke her out of her thoughts.

"This is what I have been trying to tell you," he said, "The Baron is destroying this city."

"Tell me something I don't know!" Sam snapped, "Mr. _I break into people's houses on a whim!_"

"You'll be thanking me later. Trust me."

Sam rolled her eyes again. She didn't know where the three of them were going, but as long as it didn't involve Praxis's tyranny, then she would be fine.

Kaedan suddenly parked the Hellcat outside a building close to the Water Slums, and the three of them climbed out and into the building. Once they were inside, they sat down on a leather couch in the corner, and Kor spoke up again. "Now that you've finally come around," he started, "I'll tell you what you're going to be doing." Sam waited in anticipation.

"We need…information about the Baron."

Sam caught her breath. "You want me to be a spy?" she asked.

"In essence, yes. We just need to know Baron Praxis's secrets. For our cause."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Are you with the Underground?" she demanded.

Kaedan shook his head. "No," he answered, "We're our own cause."

"And if I did, say, spy for you, what would I get out of this?"

"I told you the other night."

Sam thought back to Kor telling her how he would teach her how to kill, emphasizing _kill _a little too strongly. She shuddered. _I already know how to kill, _she reflected, _This is still creepy, but maybe I should just give it a go._ "When do you want me to start?" she asked.

"Tomorrow is fine. Go home now, and get some rest." And without further ado, Sam leaped up and bolted out of the building. Kor and Kaedan just watched her.

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Kaedan asked cautiously, "You realize she's one of the KG."

"We can trust her. Everything will go according to plan." And with that, Kor reached up and patted the skull gem in the middle of his forehead.

* * *

"With all these new rules, I'm surprised Praxis hasn't cut breakfast short, too," Mac commented the next morning as he, Sam, Erol, and Ashelin all sat in the Fortress cafeteria and ate the liquid oatmeal that was considered breakfast.

"Just you wait," Ashelin warned, "I overheard him talking to Count Veger about it last night."

Mac groaned, slamming his cup of orange juice onto the table. "That's reassuring," he groaned, "What's happened to the KG? It used to be so much different from what it is now."

"This is going to be hard to believe," Erol piped up over his cup of coffee, "But it's starting to grow on me a little bit."

Sam, Mac, and Ashelin stopped eating, spoons mid-air and mouths hanging open. Erol _liked _the new Krimzon Guard? Was he out of his mind? "I think Praxis etched that tattoo a little too deep into your head, Captain," Sam replied, "What about the firing squad yesterday?"

"Nobody else will insult me after that, right?"

_Not right at all, _the others thought, glancing at each other. "Anyway," Erol continued, "We should report for duty as soon as we're finished eating." With a small smile on his face, he cleared away his breakfast tray and got up to return to the assembly room for the new assignments.

"He's crazy!" Mac exclaimed as soon as Erol was gone.

"Kiss ass," Sam mumbled under her breath, "Just yesterday, he was complaining about the shorter lunch hours, too."

Ashelin narrowed her eyes at the Lieutenant. "That's a serious accusation, La Rosa," she chided, "Besides, since when do you care about anybody other than yourself?"

Sam had to admit she didn't know. To her, yesterday didn't count, as she did nothing to help the poor victim of Erol's wrath.

Ten minutes later, the guards were standing around the assembly room while Praxis and Torn walked around assigning different groups to different city gates. Sam, Mac, and Ashelin all crossed their fingers that they would be in the same place, and not in the Sewers.

"La Rosa! Mac! Praxis!" Torn barked, marching over to them, "You're being assigned to Haven Forest." A sigh of relief escaped Sam's lips.

"At least it's not the Sewers," Ashelin replied, bringing a small smile to Torn's face.

"I pulled some strings," he whispered into her ear before walking away and resuming his commanding attitude. Sam turned to Ashelin, a rare grin tugging at her lips.

"What was that all about, Captain?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Ashelin faced the Lieutenant and smirked. "That's the first time I've seen you smile around here," she replied, avoiding Sam's question on purpose.

"Hey guys!" Erol cried, running over to them, "Where are you all going?"

"Haven Forest," Mac replied with a defeated sigh, "You?"

"The Stadium!" The Captain's eyes lit up, and they all knew why: Erol loved to race. _I wonder if Torn or Praxis pulled some strings there, too, _Sam thought.

"I told you I liked the new KG." And winking, Erol walked away.

"Let's just get this over with," Mac growled, leading the two women and the rest of their team to the gate on the northwest side of Haven City.

* * *

_Man, it's weird being a spy, _Sam thought as she and her team stood on the ramp and looked down at the Gardens, _But there's nothing interesting to report to Kor yet. Kor. What does he want from me? _

"So, we're just supposed to stand here like idiots?" one of the cadets in the back grumbled.

Ashelin couldn't help but laugh. "We're supposed to be on the lookout for suspicious activity in this section," she replied, "But people barely walk this way."

"Unless your father wants us to go beyond the city gate," Mac suggested.

Sam shook her head. "I don't think he'd do that," she said, "Not after what happened a few days ago."

"Does anyone want to step up and ask him?" the same cadet from before asked. Nobody volunteered.

"Ashelin!" Mac cried, patting the Baron's daughter on the shoulder, "I volunteer you!"

Everyone laughed, even Sam, who hadn't laughed in a year.

"Guards!" a sharp voice snapped, and the laughter quieted down as the group spotted Torn walking towards them, "Why are you just standing around? You're supposed to be patrolling the Gardens and the Bazaar!"

The rest of the Krimzon Guards glanced at each other. "That's not what the Baron said," Sam argued, "Did we miss that memo?"

"Enough back talk, Lieutenant!" Torn scolded, "I'm just here to pass on the message."

"Sorry, Commander," Mac apologized, "We'll get to that right away." Satisfied, Torn walked away.

As Ashelin's group split up to patrol their designated area, the cadet in the back spoke up yet again. "So, did you all notice Erol this morning?" he asked.

"Yeah," Mac replied, "He was saying how he liked the new KG."

"I think I know why."

Everyone turned to face the cadet, who was introduced as Cadet Roger Wilson. "Why?" Sam asked, her voice full of curiosity.

"I heard he's been after the Commander's job for a while now," Wilson reported.

Sam was all ears. "He is?" she asked, her nerves tingling with anticipation.

"He thinks Commander Torn is getting too soft these days," Wilson explained, "That's what I heard."

"I'm sure it isn't true," Ashelin conceded.

"It isn't?" Mac asked in disbelief, "We'll see about that." And with that in mind, they all split up and began their sweep around the Gardens and the Bazaar.

* * *

Sitting in Kor and Kaedan's house once more felt strange to Sam, but oddly comforting at the same time. The two men sat in front of her as she reported what she had heard from Wilson earlier that day.

"Erol wants Torn's job," she explained, "At least, that's what we think, anyway. Erol actually likes the new KG, which I find hard to believe."

Kaedan frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe we should help him get the job he wants, then," he said, "We'll stir up some conflict in the Guard."

"More than there already is?" Sam asked, "We already don't like the Baron's new policies, but there's nothing we can do about it." She whipped out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and was just pulling one out of the box when she felt Kor rest his hand on hers.

"You won't do that in here," he scolded, "It's dangerous for us and yourself."

Sam scoffed. "You think I care at this point?" she replied, "I don't have anything anymore. Except the KG." She fully expected Kor to discipline her, but was surprised when he only smiled secretively.

"Ahh," he mused, "Trying to hide from your personal demons?"

Sam frowned. "I came here to be a spy," she snapped in denial, "Not to talk about my personal life."

"We've all got secrets, Sam. Even me and Kaedan."

"Like what?"

"If we told you," Kaedan answered, "They wouldn't be secrets."

Sam sighed. "Look, all I know is that Erol wants to be the KG Commander. There's nothing else to talk about here, so I'll just be leaving." She got up and made for the front door, but the two men behind her stopped her.

"What about those scars on your face?" Kor asked, "Where did you get those from?"

"Oh, I don't have time for this," Sam sighed, "Those scars are nobody's business but mine." She turned to leave for good this time.

"Look inside yourself, Lieutenant!" Kor called after her, but she ignored him, her blood running cold all over again. _This wasn't what I bargained for, _she thought to herself, _To have someone try to tell me things that I don't know about myself. There's nothing. _

Sam crossed through the slums and back to the Fortress after using her half hour break to go report back to Kor. "La Rosa!" Captain Erol cried as soon as he spotted her, "You're late! Where have you been?"

"I was on my short lunch break," Sam answered, "Can you believe the Baron cut them by two hours?" She was testing Erol to see what his response would be.

"Anything to help keep the city in line," the Captain replied, even though the loud rumble from his stomach spoke volumes. Sam smirked.

"I think your stomach thinks differently," she told him, "How come you didn't eat?"

Erol huffed. "I was busy trying to please Baron Praxis in the Stadium this morning!" he answered impatiently, "I thought I heard him talk about giving me a raise." _A raise? Or a promotion? _Sam thought.

"Congratulations," she said to him in a fake tone of voice before walking away once more. As she reached for her KG helmet from her locker, she sighed once more and closed her eyes. Kor and Kaedan's words from before ate away at her, and she wished she could smoke right there in the locker room, but she knew Torn would be all over her about it once more. What did Kor mean by "personal demons"? Did he know her better than she knew herself? If so, how? And why was he being so creepy about it?

Even Ashelin's words bothered her: _Since when do you care about anyone other than yourself? _Was that how people saw her? Maybe it was time to change some things in her life. Grabbing her helmet, she ran out of the locker room and back onto the streets.

As she placed the helmet over her head, a few of Haven City's citizens gave her hostile looks, which she returned. None of them knew what the KG was really like; they had no right to be hostile towards the guards who were only doing their jobs. _How ironic, _she thought, shaking her head.

"Hey!" angry voices suddenly cried, "Hey! Stop it!"

Sam looked up in anticipation, wondering what was going on. She was in the slums once more, and the voices continued to scream as she picked up her pace. When she arrived at the source of the voices, she saw what was going on: two men were trying to mug a third man. She stopped for a minute, wondering if she should go and help or turn the other cheek.

"Give us your money," one of the larger men threatened, pointing an Eco pistol in the third man's face, "And you won't get hurt."

"Never! I have a family I need to feed!" The potential victim then turned to face Sam, his eyes pleading for help, even though if anything, the KG would allow something like this to happen.

Sam marched forward, pulling out her Scatter Gun, and she pointed it at the two thugs. "Step away from him!" she ordered, resting her finger on the trigger, ready to fire if the two dissented. She wasn't sure what was making her help this man, but her body was carrying her forward all the same.

The two robbers laughed. "You're just a Guard that's going to take bribes from us!" they chuckled, "You're not going to arrest us." One of them held up a crispy twenty dollar bill.

"Here, take this," they said, shoving the money into Sam's hands, "And just go on about your business."

It was so hard not just taking the money and running, as Sam had done in the past. She snatched the bill, shoved it in her pocket, and still advanced forward, reaching for a pair of handcuffs. "I'm still arresting you," she declared, handcuffing both of them, "Keep your hands behind your back and face the wall!" _These are the people that need to be arrested, _she thought to herself.

"And you!" she cried to the almost-victim, "Stay where you are! I'll deal with you in a minute!" The man trembled, but nodded all the same, as it was not wise to defy a Krimzon Guard.

Sam escorted the two thugs to the Fortress, and after locking them in a prison cell, she turned around and walked back to the third man. Taking the money out of her pocket, she shoved it in his hand.

"Take this!" she ordered, "Go and feed your family!"

The man gasped. "Are you sure?" he asked, "You shouldn't have accepted the bribe in the first place!"

"Take it before I change my mind!"

"Yes, m'am!" Taking the money from Sam, he smiled, thanked her, and ran away before anymore guards could spot them. Sam realized she could lose her job for doing something nice, but it still felt a little good.

"That was nice of you," a familiar voice said, and Sam turned to see Kor and Kaedan. _Oh, no, _she thought as she removed her helmet, _How much of that did they see? _

Sam shrugged. "It was necessary," was all she replied with, "What are you two doing here, by the way?"

"We were taking a stroll through the city," Kaedan explained, "And wondering what you wanted out of all this? Why did you do something nice for that man?"

Sam thought about it for a minute. "I want a way out," she answered, "That's all."


	4. Three Months Later

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

_Three months later__…_

Working as a spy for Kor and Kaedan had its ups and downs, which Sam was starting to see as time went on. She passed on various details and information to them from either Torn or Praxis, and in turn, she was learning a few things from the mysterious men.

One day, she was sitting cross-legged on their floor and eating soup when she raised the question that had been bothering her ever since she met Kor. "Why me?" she asked, "Why pick me as a spy when you could have gone higher and picked Torn?"

Kaedan frowned. "We have our reasons," he answered, "Right now, we just need information."

Sam nearly spat incredulously. "How much more information do you need?" she demanded, "Do you know something I don't?"

Kor set his walking stick down. "All right, Sam," he decided, "Here's my first secret: I possess a small amount of clairvoyance, as does Kaedan."

Sam scoffed. "You, clairvoyant?" she asked, "I don't believe you. Only the old soothsayer, Onin, has that power."

Kor smirked. "Go to Seaside Town tomorrow," he ordered, "And you'll see."

"Why? What's supposed to happen there?"

"Trust us. You'll see."

_I don't like the sound of this, _Sam thought to herself, _I should just back out right now, while I still can_.

"What else do you know about the future?" she asked.

It was Kaedan who spoke up next. "If you knew, you would drive yourself into insanity," he explained, "It's better if you didn't know."

Sam raised an eyebrow. All these cryptic answers were _killing _her. "So if this…mysterious event happens tomorrow," she proposed, "Will you tell me everything? I feel cheated right now."

"I promise, we'll tell you everything," Kor assured her, "And in return, you will tell us more about you."

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes; she should have known _that _would be next. "And let me guess," she huffed, "I'm going to somehow end up telling you more about me than the other way around, right?"

Kaedan smirked. "You know us all too well," he mused.

* * *

"All right, guys," Mac started as he and the others entered Seaside Town the next day, "Tell me this isn't the perfect day to come here."

"We're not going to say that," Ashelin chided, "Because it's true."

Sam remained silent as she placed her hand on her Scatter Gun. She was getting the chills just by being here. What was supposed to happen?

"I wish the Baron had put us on duty here instead of Haven Forest," Sam spoke up, "It's always calm and quiet. Just look around!"

Everyone looked around as a bunch of children played in the grass and the pristine lake. Others climbed around in the towers while content parents relaxed and talked over drinks. Up on a ledge was a round hut, which apparently had been there ever since Haven City was built. Like every other section of the city, Krimzon Guards patrolled around here as well.

"So, Captain," Ashelin said, turning to Erol, who was standing next to Torn, "What do you think of the new KG now? It's been three months!"

Erol puffed his chest up proudly. "I still like it," he answered, grinning wolfishly, "Just yesterday, Praxis commented on how I always keep my guards in line." From where he stood, Torn frowned. Something seemed to be bothering him as well.

"Commander?" Mac asked, "What's the matter?"

"I think the Commander is jealous," Erol guessed, smirking, "Are you, Torn?"

Finally, Torn glanced up. "What?" he gasped, "No! I'm not jealous of anybody! Besides, I still have the upper hand over all of you! You're just a Captain. I'm the Commander."

"Are you sure about that?"

Before Torn could get a good answer in, someone suddenly screamed. The five of them glanced up and pointed their guns in the air, waiting for something to happen.

"Hey, kid!" Torn cried, running over to the screaming child, "What's wrong?"

But the boy continued to scream as a rumbling noise greeted everyone. The wall up ahead caved in, as if someone, or something, was trying to break in. Everyone stopped what he or she was doing to get a closer look, and screaming ensued once more when the wall finally gave in.

"Metal Heads!" Erol cried, "All units attack!" Pulling out his Eco pistol, he rushed forward into the fray, with Sam, Ashelin, and Torn following him to provide backup.

"Mac! Wilson!" Torn cried, facing them and going into full Commander mode, "Get the citizens out of here and back to the city!"

Pulling out a megaphone, Wilson announced, "_All citizens proceed quickly and quietly to the gate! Walk, don't run!_" But he soon found that everyone was running, stampeding each other in the process, as the growing crowd tried to force its way back into the city. Mac and Wilson devoted their time to ushering the frightened Havenites back into the city.

The Metal Heads continued to attack, and the remaining four leaders, as well as Torn's other units, began fighting with the ungodly creatures. However, they found they were no match for the monsters; the Metal Heads slowly overran Seaside Town and destroyed everything that was in their paths.

_Boom! _Above his head, Erol noticed that the large tower was crumbling and was about to fall on top of Ashelin, Torn, and Sam. "Watch out!" he cried, shoving them out of the way in time. The four of them soon found themselves surrounded. The Metal Heads leered at them and then advanced through the town, killing everyone who didn't make it to the gate in time and destroying the grass and trees.

Suddenly, something hovered in the air, and the four of them looked up to see large machines quickly constructing a new gate. "Wait a minute!" Torn cried, "What the hell is the Baron doing? We're stuck out here!"

Erol leaped up from his place and began running towards the machine. "Erol, stop!" Sam cried, the three of them picking themselves up and following him.

But Erol continued to run; however, as soon as he made it on the other side, the gate was finished, leaving everyone else trapped. "Captain!" Torn cried.

"I'm sorry," Erol whispered, "I'm going to try and find a way to get all of you out of here!"

"Hurry!" Sam shouted, "The Metal Heads are going to overwhelm us!" She turned around to see that the Metal Heads were getting stronger every minute. _Was this what Kor was talking about? _She realized, _How could he let this happen and not say anything? I've got some questions for him when we get out of this. If we get out of this. _

"All right," Ashelin declared from next to Torn, "We've got to protect everyone here as best as we can." She nodded at the other trapped Krimzon Guards, and they began to shoot and hold off the monsters. The frightened citizens remained silent, save for one who was pounding on the new gate.

Suddenly, Sam felt a searing pain in her arms, and she fell to the ground in shock. "AHHH!" she cried as the burning sensation intensified, and when she looked down, she saw why: Dark Eco was boiling her skin, but it was just as quickly absorbing into the blood running down her fingers. She was in agony, and she couldn't aim properly after that.

"Lieutenant!" Torn cried, "Get out of here! You can't fight like this!"

But Sam barely heard him, for she was staring at something else up on the ledge: the hut was grabbing her attention again. Someone was standing outside of it and engaging in battle with some of the Metal Heads, shooting them down with what looked like a Vulcan Fury. Since she was injured, Sam decided to crawl away from the riots and go see what this man was all about. Down below, Torn and Ashelin were fighting side by side, but their numbers, as well as the remaining citizens, were being decimated to the point where the two of them were forced to retreat along with Sam. They both felt queasy on the inside, but they tried to save as many citizens as they could.

Around them, everyone screamed and attempted to break through the gate once more, but over time, the roaring crowd quieted until the only people that were left were Sam, Torn, Ashelin, and the mysterious man in the hut. The Metal Heads overwhelmed Seaside Town, continuing to destroy everything around them. "I wish we could have helped everyone," Ashelin choked, trying to hold back her tears, "How could my father do this? He didn't know we were out here?"

"He just wanted to save the city," Torn replied, "But he should have checked. Do you think Erol's coming back?"

"I hope he is."

Meanwhile, Sam was staggering up the hill towards the man with the Vulcan Fury, her arms burning from the Dark Eco, but her blood flowing through her veins. One part of her was in agony, while the other part felt more alive than it had before the attack. That confused the hell out of her. What was happening to her? Dark Eco was supposed to kill her, but it didn't. Maybe it was coiling around her and turning her into a ticking time bomb. She didn't know.

"Young lady!" the man with the Vulcan Fury suddenly snapped, "You need to get your arms treated immediately! Go inside the hut; I have a supply of Green Eco."

Sam looked down at her left arm and watched as the purple blotches glowed, and then sizzled and popped. Instead of a searing pain, there was now a dull ache. "I don't think I'll need it," she mused, "I feel fine."

"Just do it!"

_All right, Mr. Short Fuse, _she thought, stepping inside the hut and trying to block out the sound of the Vulcan Fury bullets. Down below, she could hear Torn and Ashelin making their way up to her as well.

After minutes of searching, Sam found a Green Eco health pack, and as Torn and Ashelin entered the hut, she divided the pack amongst the three of them. As she attempted to heal her Dark Eco infections, she wondered what Kor would tell her about this. She also wondered why she wasn't already dead from the deadly substance covering her arms. Better yet, why was her blood accepting it? _So many questions, _she thought, shaking her head to herself.

"Are you three all right?" the man asked, reloading his gun and walking into the room. They all nodded.

"The Metal Heads are gone for the most part, but I reckon there are survivors out there," he continued, "My name is Samos. Samos Hagai."

Sam, Torn, and Ashelin all introduced themselves, and then, Ashelin commented, "You're very brave to stay behind and try to fight the Metal Heads, Samos."

Samos waved his hand dismissively. "Anything to suppress the attacks," was all he said.

Torn, who hadn't said anything the entire time, glanced out the window. "Nobody should have died tonight," he sighed, "The Baron shouldn't have pulled the gate back."

"I guess we'll have to wait for him to reopen the gate for us," Sam added, wiping sweat off of her forehead and laying down on the cold floor. It was nearing nighttime now, and Samos told the others that they should stick together until the all clear was called. Even though Samos secretly despised the KG, he could tell these three weren't like the others. Not even Samantha La Rosa.

As the hours went by, Samos finally reloaded his Vulcan Fury and prepared a small dinner of yakkow meat, splitting up the meager portions among the four of them. They each took a turn watching out for any more Metal Heads, and even though they could hear distant roaring, none of the monsters ever climbed up to their location.

"How are your arms, Lieutenant?" Ashelin asked, pointing to the bandages Sam had wrapped around the infected areas.

"Better," Sam answered, exhaling, "Still a little painful, but better."

Torn sighed as he tucked his knees into his chest. "What did Erol mean when he said I was jealous before?" he fumed, "Why would I be jealous of him?"

Ashelin and Sam glanced at each other and refused to comment, and Torn continued. "I see why Praxis gave me that assignment," he hissed.

"What assignment?" Ashelin asked.

"I'm not supposed to say."

_Yet another one who's secretive, _Sam thought, rolling her eyes and staring down at her arms again.

* * *

Sam couldn't sleep that night. She was on edge after the Seaside Raid, and she had also had strange dreams involving her surrounded by Metal Heads. It just didn't make sense to her. What did Kor know and what didn't he know?

Sitting up from the floor and taking her Scatter Gun out, Sam tiptoed out of the hut and decided to look around the ruined town for any Metal Heads. She hoped they were all gone, but those hopes were dashed as soon as she felt a Beam Weapon slam across her chest. Covering her mouth to stifle her screams, she ran for cover, but as soon as she fell to the ground, she looked up to see that the beasts weren't attacking her. Instead, one of them sniffed the blood leaking from her arm…and went into an ecstatic frenzy. Soon, all the Metal Heads were surrounding her and cheering with sheer joy.

"What do all you infernal creatures want?" Sam demanded, her hatred for Metal Heads resurfacing, "Get the hell out of here! You've done enough today!"

What happened next surprised her even more; some of the Metal Heads looked…offended and hurt. _This is definitely strange, _she thought, _What's up with these guys? _

"Lieutenant La Rosa!" the Commander's voice cried in the middle of the night. Soon, Samos and Ashelin were calling her name as well, and before the Metal Heads could protest, Sam was already on her feet and leaving. _Why _hadn't those fiends attacked her, especially when she was vulnerable?


	5. Revelations

Thanks to DrummerBoy4Life for reviewing! Here's the next chapter! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"Commander!" a familiar voice cried out the next morning, "Commander! Wake up!"

Torn slowly opened his eyes to the sight of Ashelin shaking him in the shoulder. "All right, I'm up," he mumbled, sitting up and rubbing sleep out of his eyes, "How are you feeling?"

Ashelin shrugged. "Fine," she answered, "Look!"

Torn peered out the closest window and saw a bunch of Krimzon Guards scouting the area probably looking for them. "They've come back to get us," he sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Samos, Lieutenant," Ashelin whispered, shaking both Sam and Samos, "Wake up. We're being rescued."

Samos immediately opened his eyes and leaped up from where he was, grabbing his Vulcan Fury. Ashelin gently confiscated it from him. "There will be no need for that," she assured him, "This is a rescue mission."

"Hmmph," Samos scoffed, stashing his gun.

"Lieutenant," the Baron's daughter spoke up, turning to a still-sleeping Sam, "Wake up." But for some reason, the young Krimzon Guard wouldn't budge.

"Lieutenant? Lieutenant?" There was still no response, and it didn't look like Sam was even breathing.

"Check her pulse," Torn ordered, and Ashelin did so.

"I can't feel anything," she reported, "We've got to get her to a hospital!"

Samos and Torn worked together to lift Sam off of the ground as the rest of the Krimzon Guards held off the Metal Heads until the four of them arrived. Upon noticing the Dark Eco oozing through Sam's uniform, some of the others slipped into biohazard suits and took over handling her. Once they were back in the city, Ashelin and Torn decided to return to the Fortress and report back to the Baron as Sam was taken to the medical wing. Along the way, the large group passed by Erol, who was just brushing off his racing mask. He just watched as Dark Eco glowed from Sam, and he wondered briefly what that was all about.

"Ashelin!" he cried, spotting her in the fray and waving her over. She squeezed her way through the rest of the guards and moved to stand next to him.

"You didn't come back for us," she snarled, frowning at him, "We had to wait the whole night for a rescue party! How could you leave us out there like that?"

Erol shrugged. "Sorry," he apologized, and Ashelin only narrowed her eyes and walked away, "What's wrong with La Rosa?"

"If you had stayed with us instead of running like a _coward_, you would have found out!"

That one word, _coward, _made the Captain feel like he was being punched in the stomach. "Anyway, she's been infected with Dark Eco," Ashelin explained in a rush, "Who knows when she's going to wake up?"

* * *

_Two days later…_

"Is she awake yet, Kor?"

"I think so. The Dark Eco absorption seems to have been a success. She should be waking up anytime now."

It felt like hours, or maybe even days, before Sam finally woke up after the incident in Seaside, and she was greeted with a lovely sight: Kor and Kaedan sitting above her head. "Am I dead?" she asked, blinking a few times to get back in focus.

"No, you're not dead," Kor confirmed, "You've been out for two days, though."

As soon as she heard the all-too-familiar raspy voice, she narrowed her eyes. "You!" she snapped, pointing at him, "You've got some explaining to do!" Kor looked slightly amused; even after nearly being killed by Dark Eco, Sam was still acting like herself.

"What the hell was that?" the Krimzon Guard demanded, "How did you know that was going to happen? Why didn't you tell Praxis?"

"We told you," Kaedan spoke up, "We can predict the near future. Right, Kor?"

"Yes, Kaedan. In fact, a young boy is supposed to be arriving in the city in a few days."

"A boy?" Sam asked, "What boy?" But Kor only smiled secretively again, and Sam knew he wasn't going to answer any time soon.

"So tell us about you," he insisted, "What's your story? Why do you smoke?"

Sam looked up from the IV that was pumping Green Eco into her system. Closing her eyes, she sighed and replied, "My parents were killed in an explosion at the Strip Mine last year." Simple enough answer, right? Sam didn't want to go into any more details.

"We're sorry to hear that," Kaedan apologized, "But why take it out on yourself?"

"Look, I told you what you needed to know. Simple as that."

"And those scars," Kor added, pointing to one rather ugly gash just below Sam's cheek, "Did you do that to yourself, too?"

Sam's gaze hardened. "I told you a little bit about myself," she snapped, "Your turn now. So you're clairvoyant! Anything else I should know?"

Kor shook his head. "You're not finished, Lieutenant," he pressed, making Sam angry once more.

"How much more information do you need about me?" she growled, suddenly feeling a headache from her recent infection, "You might as well ask about my bra-size for that matter!" She sat up in bed and poked at the purple hue that colored her forearms.

"All right," she said, "I felt guilty about what had happened, so I tried to kill myself. But someone saved me. I don't know who; I guess I was out the whole time, so I didn't see the person's face. I never did get around to thanking them for it, though." She glanced up at the two men over her head and smiled sadly, her eyes growing wet at the memory of her parents. _Why? _She asked herself.

Kor and Kaedan glanced at each other, a grin pulling at Kor's face. "Now we're getting somewhere," he said, "If you'll excuse us, we have some business we need to take care of. We'll be back to pick you up as soon as your recovery is over." And chuckling a little bit at Sam's incensed expression, the two of them left.

* * *

Meanwhile, in other places, Baron Praxis was worriedly pacing around his office, glancing down at the desolate city. Next to him, Erol was watching him in anticipation. "Sir?" he asked.

Praxis shook his head. "I am disappointed at our losses in Seaside Town," he lamented, "I've got to find a way to stall the Metal Heads!" Suddenly, he perked up as if a light bulb had gone off in his mind.

"I know!" he decided, "Get the Metal Head Leader on the line! I want a word with him!"

The Captain paled for a minute. "Are you sure that's wise, Baron Praxis?" he asked cautiously.

"Just do it, Captain!" Wordlessly, Erol set up the call, and soon, the Metal Head Leader's face appeared as a hologram.

"Ahh, Baron Praxis," he began smugly, "Did you enjoy the little gift I left for your men and women in Seaside Town the other day?"

Praxis frowned. "I am not in the mood to make small talk with you!" he boomed, "I'm here to make a deal with you!"

"Really?" the Metal Head leader asked in an interested tone of voice, "What kind of deal?"

"An Eco trade."

Erol gasped. "Sir!" he cried, but he went ignored. The Baron held up a beefy hand.

"I trade you a regular supply of Eco," Praxis suggested, "And you control your attacks on the city. I need to find a way to stop these ignorant cretins from rebelling against me, and your army needs Eco to survive, right? So it's a fair deal for both of us!"

The Metal Head leader considered it for a minute. "Fine," he relented, "But I want that Eco every week! Understood?"

"Yes!" Praxis insisted, "I'll have my guards take care of that for you."

"Then it's a done deal. We'll be speaking again real soon." With a smirk, the Metal Head leader's face vanished, leaving Erol floored.

"What did you just _do_?" he demanded, shaking a little bit.

Baron Praxis smiled. "I've saved the city, Erol," he answered, "Those worthless citizens out there will call me a hero!"

The Captain just shrugged. Any deal with the Metal Heads was sure to have loopholes in it, but now wasn't the time to worry about it. He turned and left the Baron's office.

* * *

"And in other news tonight," the news reporter on the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon's television began after a traffic report near the Stadium, "Commander Torn and his remaining squadron have been rescued from the ruins of Seaside Town. Here is the amazing video footage of the rescue. Lieutenant La Rosa is hospitalized and in stable condition, and the Commander and Captain Praxis have been treated and released."

At that, Torn took another sip from his bottle of beer and turned away from the screen as Krew hovered near him. "That was close, eh?" he commented as he proceeded to mix a drink for another patron, "You could have been ripped to shreds by those Metal Heads, hmm?"

"Thank you, Krew," Torn thanked him sarcastically, downing more of his beer and feeling a little lightheaded. He still couldn't believe that Erol had broken his promise to get help for them. Now he was _sure _the redheaded captain had something against him. If only he could find out what it was.

Then suddenly, like a Beam Weapon to the chest, something snapped inside of him: screw Erol, screw Praxis, and screw the Krimzon Guard! He had been wanting to leave for a while, especially after the firing squad three months ago, and now, this latest attack sealed the deal. Finishing his beer, he went back to the Fortress to find the one person he knew he could trust over anybody else.

As soon as he saw Ashelin Praxis, Torn approached her, took her by the arm, and led her into a side room. "Torn!" she gasped, "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry," the Commander apologized, "I've been wanting out for a while now, but the Seaside Raid just pushed me to my limits. I can't do this anymore! I can't continue to serve Baron Praxis!"

"I know you're upset about the raid," Ashelin replied, "I am, too, but I guess I can't stop you from leaving, can I?"

"I'm sorry, Ash," Torn apologized again, "But you understand, right?"

"Where are you going to go if you quit, huh? No place is safe anymore! This is Haven City we're talking about!"

"I'll find something. I promise! And then I'll let you know what I'm up to! Just be careful! Please? For my sake!"

"I'll try. But I'll be worried about you every day." Suddenly, the two of them kissed, unaware that someone had been listening in on them at that moment.

* * *

"The Commander's _quitting_ the KG?" Sam shrieked after Erol told her what he had overheard earlier that day.

"Shh!" Erol hissed, raising his index finger to his lips, "Not so loud. But yes, he's quitting. I'm sure of it. I heard him say it himself. He's tired of the KG."

Sam sighed. "Well, this is just _great_," she grumbled, "Why can't things just go back to the way they were before this war?" She wasn't exactly a people person, but she always held respect for Commander Torn, and to see him go would be very sad.

Erol shrugged, and Sam huffed again. "I need a cigarette," she said, "I can't take this anymore."

"Don't tell me you're going to quit on us, too."

Sam glared at him. "Of course not!" she assured him, "I just can't get my head around any of this."

"If Torn leaves, then the Baron's going to have to promote one of us," Erol informed her. She narrowed her eyes.

"And let me guess," she guessed, "You're hoping it will be you?"

"I'm more than just hoping, Lieutenant. I'm _sure _it will be me."

_Mar help us all, _Sam thought to herself, rolling her eyes and wincing at the Dark Eco still in her arms.

As Sam continued to fume to herself, Erol gloated over the information he had learned about Torn. So the Commander was tired of his job, huh? Well, that was just convenient for him, wasn't it? If he played his cards right, he could finally please Baron Praxis instead of letting Torn get all the credit.


	6. Breaking Free

All right! Sorry for the long wait on this story. I had writer's block, but I decided to update it again! Thanks to those who have been reading and favoriting!

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

"And…that's it," the nurse announced as she unhooked Sam from the IV, "You're free to go."

Sam nodded. "Thank you," she replied, "Now, this is going to constantly pump Green Eco into my system, right?" She gestured to a Green Eco Pacemaker that ran through an incision just above her chest. In this location was part of the device that was monitoring how much Dark Eco was in her system. This pacemaker would detect if Dark Eco levels were getting too high, and then it would release small impulses of Green Eco into her system, therefore stabilizing her.

"Yes," the nurse answered, "And you should be fine with it in the shower. But I want you to remember something. You see this little piece?" She tapped the pulse generator above Sam's chest.

"Whatever you do, _do not _rip this off," the KG nurse warned, "Understand?"

"Why?" Sam asked suspiciously, "What happens if I rip this off?" Not that she was going to try it, but she was curious.

"There will be dire consequences," was all the nurse replied with. That was all Sam needed to hear. Thanking the patient woman again, Sam gathered her things and left the medical wing. She knew it would take some time to get used to this new device that had been surgically inserted into her, but seeing as how the Dark Eco couldn't be removed anymore, she could deal with it.

"All set?" a familiar voice asked. Sam whirled around to see Erol emerging from a side room.

"Yes, Captain," Sam confirmed, nodding, but she was surprised when Erol held up a hand.

"Commander," he corrected.

"Sorry?" the Lieutenant asked, placing a hand on her hip and feeling slightly annoyed.

"I'm Commander now," Erol explained, "The Baron promoted me earlier today."

"Did he inflate your head along with it?" Sam muttered under her breath; she had instantly been turned off by the arrogance the Captain- wait, _Commander_, had brought with him.

"What was that?" Erol questioned.

"Nothing," Sam lied, "Congratulations, Erol." She resumed walking when the Commander stopped her.

"Wait a minute," he said, "I haven't even told you what my first assignment is."

"And what would that be?"

"You, Ashelin, Mac, and Wilson are all part of my team now. I personally requested it. You should be thanking me, Lieutenant."

_Excuse me? _Sam thought to herself. She knew she wasn't exactly the nicest person around, but Erol's smug attitude was rubbing her the wrong way more and more.

"We're going to start hunting down the Underground," Erol continued before Sam could reply, "Every last one of them. I _know _that's where Torn disappeared to."

"You want to try and prove that you're a better Commander than Torn was?" Sam guessed.

"You've got it, Lieutenant. Meet me outside the Fortress in half an hour. Then we'll get started." Winking, he patted her on the shoulder before walking off. _Ugh, _Sam thought, rolling her eyes as she continued onward.

* * *

_**Half an hour later…**_

Voices greeted Sam's ears as she slipped her helmet on over her head. Just as the Commander had promised, Ashelin, Mac, and Wilson were outside the Fortress. "Did you guys hear the news?" Sam scoffed, "Erol's the Commander now."

"We know," Ashelin replied, "He told us a while ago. It hasn't even been a few hours and he's already letting the power get to his head." She narrowed her eyes as she said this. Sam could tell that the Baron's daughter was still upset over Torn leaving the Krimzon Guard.

"I wonder how we're going to be hunting down the Underground," Wilson wondered, shrugging.

"We're going to kill them on sight," they all heard Erol suddenly pipe up. Whirling around, they spotted him exiting the Fortress as he lowered his racing mask over his face.

"Isn't that a little…oh, I don't know…_wrong?_" Sam questioned.

Erol lifted the mask again and faced her. "It's what the Baron ordered, and that's what I'm going to be following," he explained.

"But Erol-I mean, Commander," Wilson added next, "This isn't like you."

"This is going too far now," Ashelin added indignantly.

"If you don't like it, then leave the guard," Erol replied in a casual voice as he put the mask back on, "Though I don't think that would be a smart idea, would it?"

All four of the others just crossed their arms and shook their heads as Erol headed over to the Hellcat cruiser that had once belonged to Torn when he was the Commander. "Someone needs to knock him down a few pegs," Ashelin whispered to her friends, and they all just nodded as they reluctantly followed the redhead.

On the way through the Slums, Sam glanced around at the city as a lot of the Havenites threw the group dirty looks. She also scanned the area and spotted Kor and Kaedan. They just watched as the cruiser went by, and they nodded at her. Sam nodded in response, letting them know she would contact them later.

By the time they arrived at the place where there were suspected Underground agents, Erol leaped down from the Hellcat cruiser and drew his gun. "Look for anyone doing anything suspicious," he ordered, "Then shoot to kill."

_If this is how the Krimzon Guard's going to be with Erol as the Commander, then I'm not going to be a part of it anymore, _Sam thought as she removed her helmet. "No," she responded, locking her pistol and returning it to the holster on her side.

The others just glanced back and forth from her to Erol, wondering how the new Commander was going to react. "No?" he repeated.

"No," Sam echoed firmly, planting her feet on the ground.

"You three, continuing watching for Underground activity," Erol ordered, "I'll deal with our defiant Lieutenant." Ashelin shot Sam a sympathetic look before going off with the others.

"So," Erol started slyly, "Still thinking about quitting the KG?"

"I never said I was quitting," Sam insisted, "I just don't want to carry out these orders. What are you talking about?"

"You implied it a week ago," the Captain accused, pointing a finger at her, "You said it yourself: 'I need a cigarette. I can't take this anymore.' Plus, you were talking in your sleep yesterday. I heard you."

Sam froze. _Creepy, much? _She thought to herself. "You were in my room while I was _sleeping_?" she shrieked, then, deciding to test him, she added, "What did I say?"

Erol tilted his head to the side, smirked, and replied, "I believe you said, 'I'll join him so I can quit the KG.' Who will you join?"

_Crap, _Sam thought, horrified, _Did I mean Kor? _Suddenly, she felt the Dark Eco mess with not only her arms."Why were you in my room while I was sleeping?" she demanded, "Did you sneak in after visiting hours?" _I was talking in my sleep in the first place? _She added as a silent afterthought.

The Commander shrugged. "I was bored," he said, "And you've been acting suspicious for a while now. Your defiance today just confirmed it."

Narrowing her eyes, the Lieutenant snapped, "Don't make this about me! It's about you wanting to do _anything _to prove that you're better than Torn! Well, newsflash: you're not! You're a kiss up, Erol! That's all you are: a _kiss ass_! And I'm not going to stay here and work for you!"

"Watch it, Lieutenant! You've already got two warnings against you! Don't make this be your third strike!"

"Go ahead! Demote me! It won't make a bit of difference anyway! I hate it here! I hate this city, I hate this new KG, and I _hate _Praxis!" _Calm down, Sam, _she coaxed herself, even though her recent infection was shortening her already uneven temper.

In front of her, Erol glared at her, grabbed her shoulders, and pinned her to a nearby building in an attempt to pacify her. "Strike one," he snapped.

"Let go of me!" Sam ordered, "I said let go!"

"Strike two."

"I'm fine! Leave me alone!"

"Strike three! You're out, Lieutenant!"

In a sudden and confusing burst of fury, Sam shoved Erol, causing him to stumble backwards. "What part of 'leave me alone' don't you understand?" she hollered.

Pulling his Eco pistol out of his pocket, the Captain warned, "Back up, La Rosa! You're treading on thin ice!" Then, pulling out his communicator, he radioed into Praxis.

"Yes, Lieutenant La Rosa is acting out of orders, sir," he announced, "What would you like me to do with her?"

"_Detain her,_" the Baron replied, "_And then bring her back to the Fortress. We'll evaluate her later._"

Sam widened her eyes in horror; every Krimzon Guard knew what "evaluations" meant, but she never thought that Praxis would _dare _use it on any of them. "You're pathetic," she snapped, "All of you. I hope you can run fast, Commander."

"Why?" Erol asked suspiciously.

Sam smirked. "You want to evaluate me?" she asked tauntingly, "You'll have to catch me first." And with that, she began to sprint down the street.

"Come back here!" the redhead shouted after her, but she continued to run, only thinking about reaching Kor and Kaedan.

"After her!" she heard Erol snap into a communicator, and in less than five minutes, Sam could already see hordes of Krimzon Guards chasing her. She had seen Kor and Kaedan before. All she needed to do was get to them, and she would be free.

Other guards that were around her in the streets tried to grab her and restrain her until Erol and Praxis arrived, but she elbowed her way through all of them. "Get out of the way!" she shouted, pushing them aside and continuing to sprint. _What am I thinking? _She thought, _Why did I do that? I'm probably going to be evaluated as soon as I'm detained. _She didn't want to think about it.

"Samantha!" Erol thundered from some distance away from her, and Sam gulped; that was first time in a long time somebody used her full first name. Whenever that happened, she knew she was going to get it. She hoped her Green Eco Pacemaker would be able to hold on.

_Bam! _Suddenly, another burning sensation passed over Sam's back, and with a muted scream, she fell to the ground and blacked out, nothing but silence filling her ears in the process. _Again? _She thought, _I have the worst luck in the world. _

As she collapsed, Erol and the rest of the Krimzon Guards on patrol dashed over to her as they checked to see if she was dead. "Did you get her, Commander?" one of them asked. Some of the others began to check her pulse as Erol kicked her in the side, but none of them got a response.

"I've got nothing!" one announced.

"I guess we don't need to evaluate her after all," Erol decided, "Leave her in that side alley." The rest of the squadron lifted Sam off the ground, leaving a trail of Yellow Eco on the pavement as they just left the Lieutenant in the alley. A few citizens that had been walking around were horrified as they had witnessed the whole thing.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" Erol cried, "Defy…and die!" With that, they left, not realizing that two strangers were now stepping into the scene.

* * *

_**Later on that day…**_

_Damn it, _the Lieutenant thought hours later as she woke up to a painful throbbing in her lower back. When she went to run her hand over the large injury, she winced. When she opened her eyes completely, she noticed that she had been stripped down to her underwear, and that there was a cast wrapped around her lower back.

"Yellow Eco," Kor explained once she flipped onto her side to see him and Kaedan sitting over her, "You got hit by a Blaster Gun a little ways down from the Fortress. Luckily, we were close by and managed to move you out of that alley before they saw you were alive."

_Lovely, _Sam thought, _The Baron and Erol think I'm dead. Oh, Mar, now what? _"I guess I'm a fugitive now, huh?" she asked with a sharp laugh, "I can't spy anymore, or else they'll catch me."

"Who said anything about spying?" Kaedan asked with a grin on his face, "You've done enough spying for us over the last three months. You're going into the field now."

Sam didn't like the sound of that. "Field?" she asked cautiously, "What field?"

"Rest first," Kor told her, "Then meet us in the Pumping Station in two days. That boy I told you about should be arriving in that time, so we'd like to send a little welcoming gift."

"Who is this boy?" Sam asked, feeling her temper flare again, but Kor shook his head.

"You'll find out soon, Sam," he replied, grinning almost in a feral manner, "You all will."


	7. Escape to the Pumping Station

Thank you to those who reviewed and alerted! I appreciate it! I've been reinspired to continue this story! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

_**Two days later…**_

Sam closed her eyes to sleep, but hours later, she was feeling unsettled again. The Dark Eco that was settling into her arms was throbbing once more, which prompted her Green Eco Pacemaker to shoot some more of the healing substance into her body. After that, she drank some water, slipped a robe on, and decided to walk out on Kor and Kaedan's balcony. She couldn't believe this sudden turn of events and wondered what her two secret employers would have in store for her, since it had been two days. Better yet, who was this boy that they knew about?

_Flash! _Sam suddenly looked up as a bright light consumed the night sky. It was a brilliant shade of purple and white, and she had to hide her eyes in order to keep herself from going blind. _What the hell is that? _She thought, her mouth hanging open and the Dark Eco illuminating from her skin once more.

Down below, Kor and Kaedan were walking towards the Industrial Zone, where the boy they had predicted would arrive here had just landed. Staying in the shadows, they simply watched as the blond teenager and the rodent on his shoulder looked around at this new setting. "Shh," Kor whispered as the ottsel began to speak.

"Okay," he began, "I swear that's the last time I ever, _ever, _touch any stupid Precursor crap!" Kor grinned to himself.

"There he is!" a few Krimzon Guards in the distance ordered under the tutelage of the new KG Commander, Erol, "Move in!"

"So Erol got the job after all, huh?" Kaedan asked in a harsh whisper.

"It was all thanks to us that he did," Kor agreed.

They watched as Erol led a small group of guards over to the confused boy. "Step away from the animal!" one of them commanded, with the ottsel screaming, darting in between Erol's legs, and running off to a safe place, effectively leaving the boy to the KG.

"Forget the rat!" Erol shouted, "The Baron wants _him_!" He pointed his Eco pistol at the teenager, who just stared up at him with a confused and scared look in his eyes.

"We've been waiting for you," the Commander told him as another guard pistol-whipped him into unconsciousness. Kaedan couldn't help but wince a little bit.

As the guards carried the boy off to the Fortress, everyone heard one last message from the ottsel: "Don't worry, Jak! I'll save you before you know it!"

* * *

"The first part of the deal starts now," the Metal Head leader announced to Praxis once the Baron had reported to him about Jak's arrest, "You give me your recent delivery of Eco, and I'll tell you about an idea I've been thinking of as of late."

At first, neither Praxis nor Commander Erol moved, but then, Praxis moved forward and cleared his throat. "Here's two barrels of Eco, as promised," he said as Erol handed over the delivery to the surrounding Metal Heads. The new Commander was feeling only a little unsettled about all this, but what could he do? The city was in trouble.

"Now," the Metal Head started, "That boy you hauled in earlier tonight has some…extraordinary abilities. Use them well." And just like that, he and the rest of the Metal Heads were gone in a flash of purple, leaving Erol and Praxis befuddled.

"How is this information going to help us?" Erol asked, glaring at Praxis from across the table.

But the Baron already seemed to have something on his mind. "Well," he started, "I did overhear the Metal Head leader talking about something called a Dark Warrior Program, where we would select different citizens and experiment on them with Dark Eco."

Erol widened his eyes. "But, sir!" he gasped, "Isn't that extremely dangerous?"

"Not in a controlled situation, it isn't. We'll experiment with Dark Eco and watch the results." Erol nodded.

"Why don't we start with Jak, as well as two of our own Krimzon Guards?" the Baron suggested, rubbing his hands together. However, neither he nor the Commander realized that someone was outside the door, listening to the entire exchange.

"A Dark Warrior Program?" Cadet Wilson whispered to Mac, "Dark Eco? Why don't I like the sound of that?"

"I know I don't," Mac agreed, "We've got to warn the other guards. To let them know that they may be selected at random for these experiments."

"What are you boys talking about?" a familiar voice asked, and Wilson and Mac looked up as Ashelin approached them slowly.

"Shh!" Mac hissed, clamping his hand over the Baron's daughter's mouth and dragging her to a safer hallway. Wilson followed suit. In a rush, the cadet and lieutenant told her everything, watching as her mouth dropped open more and more.

"You can't be serious," she whispered harshly, "I don't think even my father would do this."

"We just heard him now," Wilson insisted, "He's going to experiment on us, along with that Jak boy."

Ashelin shook her head. "Everything's gone to hell in a hand basket, hasn't it?" she asked, smiling wryly, "When will this end?"

"Mar only knows," Mac replied, "Too bad La Rosa isn't with us anymore. She might have known something."

"Yeah. Too bad."

* * *

After hearing about Jak's grand entrance into Haven City, Sam retreated into her room, where she began to pack a fresh change of clothes into a knapsack. Kor and Kaedan had disappeared for the night, and they must have been waiting for her in the Pumping Station. After taking a look around, she exited back onto the city streets, making sure to keep her Scatter Gun on her at all times. As she walked into the darkness, she constantly looked around to make sure that none of the KG was around, especially not Erol. As soon as he saw that he didn't kill her with Yellow Eco, he would be all over her, trying to pump information out of her. Well, she wasn't giving him that satisfaction.

Sam cruised through the Water Slums until she found the gate leading out to the Pumping Station. As soon as she stepped through to the other side, she noticed everything was quiet, save for the rustling of the trees and the crunching of the sand beneath her feet. "Kor?" she called out, "Kaedan?" Nobody replied, and she whipped out her Scatter Gun, just in case any Metal Heads tried to leap out and attack her.

Before it even registered in her mind, she already heard the familiar sound of a Beam Weapon, and just like back in Dead Town, she felt something burn her hip, and she fell to the ground as she watched a bunch of Metal Heads swarm around her. "Stay back!" she warned, leaping up again and pointing her weapon at all of them. However, also like Dead Town, none of the beasts advanced forward to attack her. Instead, they stared at her with almost hopeful looks in their eyes.

"I mean it!" she cried, "Stay back! All of you!"

Just as she was about to open fire, another voice stopped her. "Hello, Sam," Kor greeted as he and Kaedan emerged from hiding. _What the hell? _She thought, _There are Metal Heads everywhere! Are they crazy? _

"Watch out!" she warned, "All these beasts are around! They might attack you!"

Kaedan shook his head. "No," he contradicted, "They'll be fine. Their hive minds will listen to anyone."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

Kor stepped forward. "You told us about you," he reasoned, "So now it's time for us to show you something. I'll have to advise you not to scream." Sam waited in nervous anticipation as Kor tossed his signature walking stick aside.

What happened next was unforgettable; right in front of Sam's eyes, the two older men hunched over, sprouting wings out of their backs. Soon, their human faces and clothes were gone as bigger, scarier beasts emerged from both of them. Kor changed into a winged animal with spider-like legs, a large skull gem in the middle of his head, and deep, yellow eyes. Kaedan changed into a brown, humanoid monster with the same yellow eyes Kor had. Both of them smiled at Sam with razor sharp teeth, and even though Kor had warned the Krimzon Guard not to scream, she still screamed anyway, immediately making a beeline towards the gate back to the city. Along the way, a few Metal Heads blocked her path, leaving her surrounded once more.

"I told you not to scream," Kor replied in a voice much different than the one the Lieutenant had grown used to.

"Get away from me!" Sam cried, pointing her Scatter Gun at Kor, "You didn't tell me you were the Metal Head leader! I've been spying for you and your hideous goons this whole time? I hate Metal Heads! I've hated them since they first invaded Haven City!"

From next to Kor, Kaeden smirked. "That's how you feel about the Hora Quan?" he asked, "How rich."

"Shut up!" Sam snapped, "I told you as soon as I saw something I didn't like that I wanted out! Well, I want out now! Sorry, but I refuse to spy for you. I'm out of here." She turned to leave as Kor stopped her yet again.

"So this is it, Sam?" he asked, "You'd rather go back to that cruel city where you could die as soon as someone recognizes you? Is that the life you want to lead? Or would you rather experience _real _power? _Real _commitment? You can have all of that here."

"I don't want power," Sam argued, "I want a way out. I don't have to work for either you or the KG, so just leave me alone. Associating with Metal Heads was the last thing I expected."

Kaeden laughed. "Really?" he asked in a deep voice as well, "Are you _sure _you want to leave?"

Sam was growing more and more exasperated. "Yes, I want to leave!" she snarled, "Is that enough for you?"

"Well, that would be like turning your back on your own connections."

Sam spat incredulously. "_Connections_?" she shrieked, "What possible connections could I have with _you_?"

"Hmm," Kor began as the Metal Heads moved in closer to the Lieutenant, "Try the whole reason you've been alive for the last year."

Sam remained frozen where she was and looked down at her hands. All around her, she could hear the Metal Heads cheering with joy again, just like they had in Seaside. "What are you talking about?" she demanded, but as soon as the question was out of her mouth, she realized she knew exactly what they were talking about.

"Wait a minute," she gasped, "You mean to tell me that _you _were the one who saved my life?"

"You catch on quick," Kor complimented, "But yes, that is correct. I found you wandering in the streets after the Strip Mine explosion, and you were covered in blood. I saw the gashes all over your face and arms, and I knew you had done that to yourself. You fell unconscious before I could say anything to you, but I took you to the hospital all the same. You may have noticed the blood that was being injected into your system when you woke up that night. I donated some of my blood to you to compensate for all that you lost after your suicidal rampage. Then, a few months ago, I decided it was time to go back and collect you. It was time for you to pay me back for saving you: by spying on Baron Praxis."

_No way! _Sam thought to herself, _Who would have thought this was the guy who saved me? _Before she could ask some questions, Kor continued. "As for that night in Seaside, you may have noticed the Metal Heads surrounding you and cheering over the Dark Eco in your blood. What my second in command was trying to say before was…that's who you are. You're, by blood, a Metal Head. One of the Hora Quan. You turned into one of us after I donated my Metal Head blood to you in the hospital."

_Whoa! _Sam thought, floored, _This is crazy! I can't be a Metal Head! I hate those creatures with a passion! I just can't be one of them! _"You're lying!" she cried, "I'm not a Metal Head! I told you, I hate them!"

"We've known you were one of us for a while," Kaeden added, "Have you been wondering why the Dark Eco hasn't killed you yet when it would have fried anyone else?"

Sam pulled back her sleeves and studied the purple patches just above her joints, and she realized that was why her blood had felt alive during the Seaside Raid. "But how is this possible?" she asked, still in denial, "I thought Metal Heads couldn't take Dark Eco!"

"In large quantities, they can't. But small dosages don't do any damage."

In that moment, Sam felt like she wanted to cry. Her whole past year of existence had been one big lie. "You should have let me die that night," she choked, "I don't want this! I don't want to be one of the Hora Quan!"

"A simple thank you would suffice," Kor scolded, "I don't usually do things like this."

"You shouldn't have saved me! Now I have to live in this _hell _because of you! I'd rather be dead by Erol's hand than live with this!" All around her, the Metal Heads were growing restless with her open rejection of her own kind.

"Sorry, Lieutenant," Kaeden apologized insincerely, "But we can't take the blood back. You'll have to live with us for the rest of your life."

"NO!" Sam shouted, finally bursting into tears at this revelation about her own background. The Metal Heads moved forward to lift her up against her protests, and along with Kor and Kaedan, they all moved through the Pumping Station as Sam cried the whole time. She didn't expect she would ever share the same blood with these beasts, but she now saw that it was all true. What would happen from there?


	8. The Ways of the Metal Heads

Next chapter is here! Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, and alerted! :)

**WARNING: **This chapter deals with content that might be considered disturbing, hence why I've decided to throw this warning out there. Nothing graphic is shown, though, only implied, since this is still a T-rated story and I don't want to go into great detail.

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs and the plot are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

_This changes everything, _Sam thought as she remained thrown over one of the Metal Heads' shoulders. She, the rest of the creatures, Kor, and Kaedan were on their way back to the Metal Head Nest, where their home was located. After finding out she was the very thing she hated the most, she had gone into a tailspin as she tried to make sense of everything. She still had a lot of questions about how the transformation worked. Was all of her blood that of the Metal Heads? Would the Dark Eco slowly kill her over time? She didn't know.

"Hey," she whispered to the Metal Head that was carrying her, "Can you let me down from here? It's getting uncomfortable." The Metal Head ignored her, which made her wonder how much of her language it understood.

"Hello?" she repeated, tapping the Metal Head's skull gem, "Did you hear me?"

_Wham! _Suddenly, Sam felt herself fall to the ground, which made her realize the Metal Head had heard her the first time. She felt a bruise form where Yellow Eco scars crisscrossed her lower back, and she winced in pain. She looked up to see the metal monster close its eyes as it laughed at her. "Not funny!" she snapped, rubbing her back, "You've done enough damage to Haven City as it is!" The Metal Head continued to laugh at Sam's misfortune. It reached for her to help her up, but she declined its assistance.

"I can walk on my own two feet, thanks," she snarled, snatching her hand away and then making her way forward. Along the way, the same Metal Head playfully shoved Sam, causing her to stumble forwards. Sam tensed up and turned around.

"Oh, you are _so _dead for that!" she snapped, pushing the Metal Head in return. All the other Metal Heads around them began to cheer; this obviously must have been some sort of game for them to pass time with, Sam figured, but she wasn't having any of it. She was already upset over Kor and Kaedan's revelations from earlier.

As the fight continued, Sam and the competing Metal Head began shoving each other so violently that they each began sustaining bruises. A little bit of the metal creature's blood leaked onto the ground, along with Dark Eco. The cheering increased in volume, which alerted Kor and Kaedan to the brawl that was taking place behind their backs. Both of them turned around and made their way through the crowd just in time to see Sam tackle the Metal Head to the ground, where she held it in its place.

"Ahh, Sam," Kor sighed, chuckling a little bit at the sight in front of him, "You're already roughhousing like a Metal Head. But you all can play later. We've got to get back to the Nest."

Sam glowered at the Metal Head leader. "HA!" she spat, "I had a father, and it wasn't _you_!"

"Enough!" Kaedan ordered, "Let's keep moving. I feel the winds changing."

"So do I," Kor agreed, "And Sam has much to learn about our ways."

Sam sighed and wondered briefly what was going on back in Haven City. It was the strangest feeling, but she sort of wished she was back there instead of on her way to the Metal Head Nest. However, she also knew that if Erol saw she was alive, she would end up number one on his hit list. _What have I done? _She thought sadly.

By the time the sun was completely down, they had arrived at the Metal Head Nest, and the Metal Head that had fought with Sam before prodded her in the back again.

"Will you leave me alone?" she snapped, "I already don't want to be here, thank you very much."

"Well, you're here," Kaedan piped up, "So just deal with it. You're not going anywhere."

"That's what I was afraid of," Sam mumbled to herself.

"Here's fine," Kor announced, suddenly stopping to rest. The same Metal Head knocked Sam to the ground, but she didn't bother to retaliate this time.

"You've got a lot to learn, Sam," Kor said, grinning at the ex-Krimzon Guard, "And we'll teach you. Starting now."

All around Sam, Kor, Kaedan, and some of the other Metal Heads, a white light illuminated and grew brighter until the young teenager had to close her eyes and throw her arms up. Feeling curious, she opened one eye and noticed a large, purple ring in the corner, and before she could think about it anymore, she felt herself being dragged into it. Suddenly, she felt like she was falling, and she screamed, flailing her arms in an attempt to slow herself down. As she screamed, however, she found herself coughing violently. _The smoker's cough, I guess, _she thought, _I could use a cigarette right now. But not when Kor and Kaedan are around._

"Ow!" Sam cried, finally crashing onto solid ground and looking around, and what she saw made her forget about her anti-depressant pills and cigarettes instantly. _What is this place? _She thought, waiting for Kor and Kaedan as they gently floated down to her level. They grinned at the look of confusion on her face.

"Where are we?" she demanded, taking in the darkness around her.

"There is another secret we didn't tell you before," Kor explained, "We have the ability to time travel. Remember that purple ring you saw in the Nest? That's how we can travel to different time periods."

Sam sighed. "Time travel?" she echoed, "You've _got _to be kidding me."

"That's how we began our war against the Precursors, which you'll see now. And it was all thanks to Jak." Gesturing with his claw, he allowed Sam to step forward and take in the scene in front of her. As soon as she recognized the place, she gasped.

"Wait a minute," she whispered harshly, "You mean to tell me we're _three hundred years _in the past? I read about this in the ancient Precursor History books!"

"Smart girl," Kaeden mumbled, "Then you should recognize the village as well."

"Sandover Village," she whispered to herself. _Oh no, _she added as a silent afterthought.

"The first thing you should always remember as a Metal Head is that feeding is important. Just follow our leads, and you should become accustomed to it in no time."

"Feeding?" Sam asked, "On what?" But when both Metal Heads merely grinned at her, a sickening realization hit her, making her stomach flip.

"_No_!" she snapped, "_No, no, _and _no_! If you think I'm going to feed off of human flesh like some _cannibal, _you've got another think coming!"

"But you're not human. Not anymore. You're one of us now."

"I am not a Metal Head! I'm a human with Metal Head blood!"

Kor and Kaeden could tell this was going to take a while for Sam to get used to, but they decided to still teach her about their ways all the same. "You will accept this one day," Kor assured her, "It will just take some time. Now, follow us."

Sam gulped, but cautiously followed the others into the village. This was all wrong, but now that she was stuck here, she would have to tough it out. In Sandover itself, flying Metal Heads were already ravaging the place, devouring anything in their paths and overturning houses. Sam had to look away for a minute, but a few of the metal creatures pushed her forward eagerly.

"Remember when I told you I would teach you how to kill?" Kor reminded her. She closed her eyes and nodded.

"This was what I meant."

Opening her eyes again, the ex-Krimzon Guard retorted, "I've killed before. In the KG."

"But you haven't killed like a Metal Head."

"Oh, _Mar_…"

"We're going in now. Follow us." Sam clutched her stomach, but forced herself to march onwards anyway. She rested her hand on her Scattergun in the process.

Once everyone was situated, Kor, Kaeden, and Sam plowed through the rest of the village, destroying the rest of the huts as if they were in search of something. The whole time, Sam felt tears run down her cheeks, a first in a long time for her; she hadn't cried since her parents' funerals, and she knew that if they were still alive, they would _kill _her for joining up with the enemy. _I'd rather be Erol's prisoner than be here, _she thought, fisting away her tears.

"Sam," Kor piped up. Sam looked up from her hands.

"It is finished. It's time to feast."

Sam winced and closed her eyes once more. _I really, REALLY don't want to do this, _she thought as she inched forward and knelt down next to the others, who were cheering over their latest victory.

* * *

Things were not looking too good back at the Fortress.

Erol smirked to himself as he closed and locked the door leading to Jak's prison cell. The Dark Warrior Program was about to start, and he hoped that the Metal Head Leader was right about this young boy. With that thought in mind, he turned and walked down the hallway. Along the way, he passed by Ashelin, Mac, and Wilson, who were hidden out of sight. They didn't want Erol to see that they were spying on him.

"Is that the boy they just hauled in?" Wilson whispered, "Jak?"

"I think so," Ashelin replied, "Thank the Precursors Torn left when he did. This is looking bad."

"What are we going to do?" Mac asked frantically.

Ashelin narrowed her eyes as she thought of a sudden idea. "I'm the Baron's daughter," she announced, "I'll spy on my father and see what I can get from him. He's probably going to tell me things, anyway."

"And what about us?" Wilson asked.

"You two can keep an eye on Erol. He's got something evil up his sleeve."

"We all knew that," Mac replied, "Ever since he started liking the new KG. This Dark Warrior Program, though. Is there a way we can stop it?"

"We can only hope." And with that, the three of them took off down the Fortress hallways to avoid drawing attention to themselves from Erol or Praxis. They all reflected on how no word about Sam had been mentioned since the day she ran away in the Slums, but all three of them were sure that she was still alive. She couldn't have just died from a bullet wound.

Mac and Wilson parted ways with Ashelin when she turned into the women's locker room, and that was when the two of them decided to do something they would have never thought they would do.

"Count Veger," they said at the same time, uttering the name of one of the most powerful men in Haven City.

"If we join the Grand Council," Mac reasoned, "Maybe we can find out what Erol and the Baron are up to. They're on that, aren't they?"

"Right," Wilson agreed, "Let's do it!"

"I saw Erol go that way," Mac said, pointing the opposite direction, "We should be able to catch him."

* * *

_**Ten minutes later…**_

"Commander!" Mac and Wilson cried as they spotted Erol pouring himself a cup of coffee. He glanced up and rolled his eyes; he had once been good friends with these two, but after being promoted to Commander, he had no time for them anymore.

"Yes?" he asked.

"We were just thinking about how Count Veger could use more people on his council," Wilson started, "We were wondering if he would possibly let us join. We always think about what's best for Haven City, and with this war going on, the Council's going to need more input."

"Besides," Mac added, "Now that La Rosa is gone, she can stop influencing us to rebel. Just think of this as an apology of sorts." _I never thought of including something like that, _Wilson thought, _But maybe that's the extra push Erol needs._

"Hmm," Erol hummed to himself as he folded his arms, "You've got a point there. Now that Samantha's been taken care of, she can't lead you two in turning against us. You're sure this is the truth, now, right?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Wilson lied, crossing his heart as Mac did the same.

Erol narrowed his eyes, but nodded all the same. "I'll see what I can do," he decided, and as soon as he was gone from the cafeteria, Mac and Wilson high-fived each other in victory.

* * *

Sam felt sick. She stared blankly at the night sky as she rocked back and forth with her knees tucked into her chest. A queasy sensation ran through her body after the feast, and she never wanted to do anything like that again. Kor and Kaeden were treating this as if nothing was wrong, as if what they had just done wasn't despicable.

"Congratulations, Sam," Kaeden said, noticing the rattled expression she wore on her face, "You made it through the first of many feasts."

Sam slowly pulled her gaze away from the sky and faced the second-in-command. "No," she whispered, "I don't want to do that again. Please don't make me do that again."

"You'll get used to it. I swear it."

"No…" Sam buried her face into her knees and cried once more. She had been forced to do something she really didn't want to do, regardless of her position in the war. If this was the first of many horrors, she wondered with dread what else she would have to endure during her time with Kor, Kaeden, and the rest of the Metal Heads.

"It's time to go home," Kor decided, and with that, they returned to the Rift Ring that Jak had activated and jumped through it, returning to the future time.

* * *

_**One month later…**_

It had been one month since Kor, Kaedan, Sam, and the rest of the Metal Heads had returned to the present. Sam had more or less gotten over the shock from the adventure, but she was starting to come around. The tears she had shed were enough.

Sam raised one of her arms to her nose and sniffed. She smelled like Dark Eco. Which reminded her: she wanted to find some sort of place to bathe. She couldn't take the smell anymore.

Flipping onto her side, she reached for her anti-depressant pills and box of cigarettes when she noticed something: they were gone. "Kor," she began, "What the hell did you do with my things?"

"I got rid of them," Kor explained simply, unfurling his wings, "With Green Eco entering your system, you shouldn't be on any other prescriptions."

"Uh huh," Sam replied slowly, "Just like I shouldn't be alive right now." She leaned back against some pods in the Metal Head nest and exhaled again.

"Look," she continued, "I know I've come across as bitchy, but-"

"Only a little bit," Kor piped up sarcastically, causing the ex-Krimzon Guard to smile and shake her head.

"Very funny," she joked, "But I just need some time. This past year has been really stressful for me. What with my parents, the Krimzon Guard, Erol, and now Jak." She glanced up at the Metal Head leader.

"What do you think they're doing to Jak in that Fortress?" she asked. She noticed that Kor visibly faltered before answering her question.

"It's time to let that city go, Sam," he said in a deep voice, "There is no hope left for them. And it's not safe for you."

"I don't believe that," Sam retorted, sitting up completely now and glancing down at her Green Eco Pacemaker, "And you promised you would stop with all the secrets. I'm running with the Hora Quan now."

Before Kor could get another word in, Kaedan was approaching them. "Oh, there you are, Kor," he gasped, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Kor responded, facing Sam, "Come on. We're traveling deep into the Wasteland now."

Sam reclined again and closed her eyes. "No, thanks," she declined, "I think I'll just stay here with some of the others."

"And risk having you return to Haven City?" Kaedan chuckled, "I don't think so. You're riding shotgun with us now."

Narrowing her eyes, Sam asked, "No feeding this time, right?"

"No feeding," the two Metal Heads answered, "We're just going to collect more power."

"All right, I'm in." And with that, Sam stood up and followed the others out to the main meeting area. There was one Metal Head in particular that caught her attention almost right away; it was as large as Kor and Kaedan, maybe even larger, and it reminded Sam of a dinosaur.

"Wow," she whispered, taking in the large form in front of her. Upon noticing her, it roared, which forced her to cover her ears. She was a little afraid, but she still moved forward anyway, extending one of her hands out.

"Hey there, big guy," she greeted, "Yes, I'm one of _you_, shockingly enough."

The dinosaur Metal Head blinked his eyes for a minute, not believing Sam, until Kor said something to it in a language she had never heard before. It snapped at Sam, and she anxiously withdrew her hand, but Kaedan picked her up and placed her on top of the animal.

"You'll be fine," he assured her, noticing the anxious look on her face, "You can trust Rex."

Sam raised an eyebrow, and another grin tugged at her lips. "_Rex_?" she asked in a disbelieving tone.

Kaedan shrugged. "We had to give him a nickname," he admitted, and Sam chuckled.

"Come on, Rex," she whispered to the Metal Head, "Let's go." Rex snorted again, but slowly began to move out, with Kor, Kaedan, and the others following suit. Sam realized it would be a while before Rex trusted her.

It was a long time before the large group eventually made it out to the Wasteland, but when they did, the sun was just starting to rise. Sam looked around in amazement; she had never visited the Wasteland, so it was a whole new experience to her. She figured that this was just a routine for Kor and Kaedan, though. She glanced over at Kor and noticed once again how big he was in his Metal Head form. _Will I ever see his human form again? _She wondered to herself, _And do I have a Metal form? I hope not! _

From her left, Kor noticed the look of awe on Sam's face. She was actually enjoying herself with the Metal Heads, something he hadn't expected. Granted, she was still new to this, but he figured that his plan would be set in motion now. Just before they had headed out, he had had visions of the future concerning that boy, Jak. And something needed to be done about it.

"What was that language you were speaking before?" Sam asked with curiosity.

"The language of the Metal Heads," Kor explained, "You'll pick it up over time." Sam just nodded.

After a few more hours of traveling, they arrived at their destination: a few pools of Dark Eco. The smaller Metal Heads instantly began scooping up some of the deadly substance to charge up their weapons and heal their armor.

Leaping down from Rex (and earning another snort in the process), Sam approached the Dark Eco and hesitated for a minute. "The nurse said I can't take in anymore Dark Eco," she told the others, "Or else I'll die."

"Your blood should be able to filter it through your veins," Kaedan quipped, overhearing her concerns, "Then your Green Eco device will balance it out when it's time."

"Okay," Sam said skeptically before kneeling down, taking out an empty syringe she used to carry around before the war, and filling it with Dark Eco. She then injected herself, feeling the sharp pain at first, and then the invigorating sensation she had experienced back on the day Dead Town was attacked. _Well, I'm not dead, _she thought, _That's a plus._

Later on, they journeyed further into the Wasteland, passing by a gate in the distance. "What's that over there?" Sam asked.

"Spargus City," Kor answered simply.

The ex-Krimzon Guard widened her eyes. "There's whole city out here?" she asked, shocked. The Metal Heads nodded.

"But nobody lives outside of Haven City's walls!"

"Apparently, some have managed." And before Sam could ask any more questions, they were moving on already, and Sam was glancing back at Spargus City and getting a strange vibe from it. Almost like something significant would happen there. She couldn't place her finger on it.


	9. Secrets in the Sand

Okay! Finally, I'm here with the next chapter! Sorry for the long wait, but I'm here once again! I haven't forgotten about this story! I've gone back and changed the amount of time that's passed from one week to one month. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and alerted this story. I really appreciate it!

By the way, I'm following the chronological timeline of the entire series, and that's why I'm including things from the Daxter game (like Kaedan) and the fact that Damas and Spargus is appearing before _Jak 3._

**DISCLAIMER: **Only my OCs and plot ideas are mine. Everything else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

Twelve hours had passed since Sam, Kor, Kaedan, and Rex had passed by Spargus City, and they were now visiting the Metal Head Nest located in the Wasteland. According to Kor, some of the bigger Metal Heads resided here, which made the ex-Krimzon Guard anxious; she had never seen any Metal Heads bigger than the two leaders themselves.

The sun slowly climbed higher into the sky as the winds picked up around the large group. Sand flew up into Sam's eyes, so she quickly wiped it out of her face before continuing onwards. Sam was still riding on Rex, who was amusing himself by trying to toss her off of his back.

"Okay," she called out, "Is this far enough, Kor?" Silence greeted her.

"Kor?" she asked, "Where'd you go?" There was still no answer.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed off of the hollow walls.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large centipede burst from the ground, squealing as it flew over Sam's head and back into the ground below. The ex-Krimzon Guard screamed and ducked her head for an instant before standing up again. From behind her, she could hear raucous laughter, and she turned to see Kor, Kaedan, and Rex all tossing their heads back as they laughed.

"You should have seen your face," Kaedan said while slapping his large knee.

Sam frowned. "Not funny," she snarled.

"Oh, well," Kor piped up, "You'll get used to it."

Sam turned around again and watched as the Metal Head centipede continued to go gallivanting around the other Metal Head Nest.

It surprised her how much the Metal Heads almost seemed like humans; she had always viewed them to be disorganized creatures, but with leaders like Kor and Kaeden, she was starting to see that the Metal Heads had their own culture.

And she was about to become a part of it.

"Oh, Sam," Kor piped up all of a sudden, "Before we forget…Kaedan, give her her new weapons."

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "New weapons?" she echoed.

"You've seen all the Metal Heads with beam weapons, and some of them have shields or cloaking devices," Kaedan said, handing Sam all three of them and helping her attach the cloaking device to her wrist.

"This cloaking device runs on Dark Eco," Kor explained, and Sam instantly felt nervous.

"Uhh…" she began, "Are you guys sure I should be taking in all this Dark Eco? It's just going to make my Green Eco Pacemaker work even harder now. I'm supposed to be getting rid of all of it."

"We told you before," Kaedan answered, "A little isn't bad. We all use it to power up our weapons. Just don't take it in excess." Sam ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn't trying to be paranoid; she was worried for her health.

"We'll have to get you some armor," he mused.

"I already have armor," Sam insisted, "From the Krimzon Guard."

But the Metal Head leader's second in command shook his head. "No, I mean _real _Metal Head armor," he corrected her, "If you're going to be one of us, you have to look the part."

_I figured that was coming, _Sam thought, rolling her eyes to herself. Although it had only been a month since she had first become involved in all this, she decided there was nothing else she could do to get out of it, so she might as well become acclimated to her new surroundings.

"It's a shame you weren't born a Metal Head," she caught Kor mumbling to himself as she went to test out her new weapons.

* * *

Later on that night, Sam woke up out of a restless sleep, where she had been dreaming about Jak, oddly enough. In her dreams, he was a monster, with the scariest black eyes she had ever seen. It was so terrifying that she had woken up, gasping and clutching her chest as she did so. _I've got to get out of here, _she thought, _I need some fresh air. _

Quietly getting up from in between Kor, Kaedan, and Rex, Sam tiptoed around the Metal Head centipedes and exited the Nest until she was outside again. It was freezing, but she barely felt it despite the thick jacket she was wearing. Arming herself with her new Metal Head weapons (by strapping the beam weapon across her back and securing the cloaking device on her wrist), plus her Eco Pistol that she had grown fond of in the KG, she decided that while she was out, she would go check out Spargus City. She was curious as to how anybody could live out here in these harsh conditions. Hell, she hoped that _she _would survive in the strong winds and frequent sandstorms.

Sam ended up walking for miles, thinking about how nobody was around at this time of night…well, except for some cars that she had spotted in the distance. For a minute, she wondered what that could have been, but then decided it wasn't important. That was, until some of them spotted her from a distance. Raising her gun into the air, Sam planted her feet firmly in the ground as three cars approached her.

"Well, well," one of the men began, "What do we have here? What's a lass like you doing all the way out here in the middle of the night?"

"Funny," Sam replied darkly, "I could ask the same thing about you in your cars." The men broke into raucous laughter.

"You think you're tough now, don't you?" one of them teased, grinning, "Just wait 'til you're out here a little bit longer. These storms are some of the nastiest storms you'll ever see. You wouldn't want your pretty little face to go bad, now, would you?"

Sam narrowed her eyes and didn't lower her Eco Pistol, hoping she wouldn't have to resort to her newer weapons. "I just want to see Spargus City," she growled, "Let me through."

"Don't you know by now? Nobody gets past the Marauders. And you're sure as hell not going to get into Spargus."

"Why not?" Sam demanded.

"You have to prove yourself in order to go through those gates."

"So why aren't _you _in there?"

"We were kicked out a long time ago, lass. The King wasn't pleased with us around the city. We were never good workers."

"Well, if you fail at working as much as you fail at flirting, I could see the King kicking you out."

"Oooo," the Marauders gasped, "Touché." Sam smirked.

"Let me through," she ordered again, but the Marauders wouldn't budge just yet.

"Not yet," another one chuckled, "Do you know what we do to young, wayward women like you?" One of them licked his lips in anticipation.

_Sick, _Sam thought, pointing her gun at the Marauder who had made that comment to her. "Yes," she snarled, "You lose your life." She pulled the trigger, and as the other Marauders screamed in agony, she ran, leaped over the dead man's car, and began running towards the gate to Spargus City. She could hear the engines behind her, but she kept running, feeling guilty for murdering the Marauder. Yes, she had killed people when she was back in the Krimzon Guard, but she still didn't like it.

In a flash, Sam made it to the Spargus gate, which opened and closed quickly once she was on the other side. She noticed that the Marauders didn't follow her into the garage, but she knew as soon as she went back out into the desert, they would be waiting for her.

Sam entered the city, taking care to keep herself hidden in case anybody realized she didn't belong there. A few people, including monks, were walking around, and she couldn't help but feel fascinated with all the buildings, the fruit stands, the watchtowers, and even the beach that was a little ways away from the fruit stands. How did Kor and the Metal Heads know this place was here?

Taking a deep breath, Sam pushed her way forward, dashing towards the Palace and riding a makeshift elevator to the top. As soon as she got there, she heard voices.

"All right, Sig," a deep, familiar voice announced, "You're the only one I can trust with this mission." _Hold on, _Sam thought, _That sounds like…_

"Lay it on me," the man named Sig replied in a deep voice. Sam remained where she was, holding her breath the whole time.

"You are aware of the tragedy that took place here a few nights ago," the other man said. Sig nodded.

"I want you to go into Haven City and find young Mar. And while you're there, see what information you can get about our good friend, Baron Praxis. I would like to know how he's dealing with his current situation."

"I will, Damas," Sig vowed, "I promise I'll find your son. It won't be easy, but I know how much this means to you." _Damas! _Sam thought, _King Damas is out here? I remember him from before this whole war! _She was so shocked that she ended up gasping audibly, inadvertently drawing Sig and Damas's attentions towards the elevator.

"Who are you?" Damas demanded, "What are you doing here? How did you get into the city?"

At first, Sam was frozen, but when she recovered, she replied, "Uhh, hi. I was just leaving." Pressing the button next to her, she began to ride the elevator back down.

"Stop her, Sig!" Damas shouted.

"Yes, sir!" Sig replied, running around to take the stairs to catch up with the ex-Krimzon Guard. Sam felt her heart beat quickly, and she cursed the slow elevator. When she made it back outside, she jumped and ran back the way she came, pushing other people out of the way. She had to get back to Kor and the others to tell them what she had just heard. That was, if she didn't get herself killed by Sig and Damas.

"Hey!" Sig snapped, "Stop!" _No, _Sam thought to herself. She was almost at the gate when it happened. Almost like a repeat of the night she had fled from the KG Fortress, she heard a loud bang, and then felt a searing pain in her foot.

"AHH!" she cried, losing her balance and falling to the ground. But if Sig and Damas didn't shoot her, then who did?

"Next time, you better watch your step, newbie," an accented voice taunted, and Sam looked up to see a hulking man standing by one of the larger vehicles, blowing some smoke away from his Eco pistol.

"I've got her for you, Damas," he announced proudly, leaving Sam fuming from where she was sprawled on the ground.

* * *

"One month, Erol," Baron Praxis seethed, "It's been _one month_ and our results have been off the charts! And not in a good way." He held up a piece of paper with Jak's latest Dark Warrior Program test results, and Erol snatched it out of his hands.

"That's impossible!" he snapped.

"According to that paper, it is. Jak hasn't been killed by the Dark Eco yet. Not like the other test subjects. What do you think the cause could be?"

"All the other test subjects died after a while. Maybe Jak's turn is coming up soon."

"We'd have another failure at that rate." Both of them sighed wistfully and wondered what was causing Jak to stay alive after three weeks when the other test subjects were usually dead by three hours.

"And you still haven't found our missing Lieutenant, have you?" Praxis asked.

"No, sir. She must be long gone by now."

"And the Shadow still isn't talking after these weeks?"

"He claims he's not the Shadow, but he looks a hell of a lot like him."

"This is _not _good news, Erol. Not good news at all."

Erol was just about to reply when Cadet Wilson entered the room. "Excuse me," he began, "I was just wondering if I could speak to the Commander about something."

For the last month, Wilson and Mac had been a very active part of the Council, along with Veger as everyone discussed what should be done about the growing crisis in Haven City. "Light Eco!" Veger always hollered, but none of the others ever believed him.

At first, nobody said anything in response to the Cadet's request, but then, Erol and Praxis glanced at each other, grinning before they turned to Wilson.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the cadet asked worriedly, slowly backing up towards the door.

"Cadet Roger Wilson," Erol began in a sly tone of voice, "How would you like to be part of the Dark Warrior Program?"

"_What_?" Wilson spat incredulously, "You can't be serious! I've heard about this Dark Warrior Program! I've heard about what you're doing to that Jak person."

"Then you should fit right into the tests." Wilson tried to run, but not before Erol shot a tranquilizing dart into the side of his neck and causing him to pass out. _Now we'll see how Jak is still alive, _Erol thought to himself.

* * *

Hours later, Sam found herself sitting up in bed, a Green Eco cast wrapped around her foot. She sighed as she realized the Pacemaker wouldn't be enough. "Lovely," she muttered to herself, "That was really smooth of me before." Her foot hurt like no tomorrow.

"You shouldn't have run, Enemy," a voice replied, and Sam whipped her head around to see a monk standing in the corner of the room. She was just washing her hands of Green Eco plastering, which made Sam realize this monk had dressed her foot.

"Enemy?" Sam questioned, "What are you talking about?"

"I smelled the Dark Eco on you as soon as I brought you up here, as well as when I removed the bullet from your foot. You should not have come here at this time." The words were cruel, almost spiteful, which made Sam recoil.

"Well, _sorry _for intruding," she snapped, "But I was curious. I've never been out here before, and I didn't know this city was here."

"You're one of _them_, aren't you?"

Sam frowned. What could she say? That she was part Metal Head? This monk already didn't like her, and would hate her even more for this information. "One of what?" she asked to test the monk.

"The Hora Quan."

_How the hell did she figure that out? _Sam asked herself. "None of your business," the ex-KG growled, "But if you must know, I was merely infected with Dark Eco during the attack on Seaside by those creatures you call the 'Hora Quan'."

The monk shook her head. "If you were really infected, you would be dead by now," she quipped, "Besides, I took a sample of your blood while you were sleeping, and the results were strange." Sam's dislike towards the woman intensified every minute.

"My name is Seem," the monk introduced herself, "Damas and Sig should be by to question you. I won't tell them your secret, but _you _should." Sam reclined back on the bed.

"Thanks for nothing," she mumbled, earning a glare from Seem before the latter left the room.

Five minutes later, as she was getting ready to close her eyes and sleep, Sig and Damas entered the room, shutting the door behind them. "Now that Seem has dressed your foot," Damas began, "Tell us why you were here. Are you a spy for the Baron?"

Sam shook her head. "No," she replied, "I'm not a spy at all. I just wanted to see Spargus. I had heard you all were out here."

"From _who_?"

"That I can't tell you."

Sig frowned. "Listen, cherry," he piped up, "You were the one sneaking around here. We deserve to know."

"And if I choose not to tell you?"

"You'll be thrown back into the Wasteland to die. Even more so with your injured foot." Sam gulped and looked down; she was hoping that wouldn't be the answer.

"However," Damas piped up, "Since you've somehow managed to find this city, there is something you need to do. Perhaps this will teach you not to eavesdrop on others' conversations. With your foot being healed by Green Eco, you should be able to do this."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "What?" she inquired.

"A test."


End file.
